NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS

GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO PARTICIPATE IN MUNICH SECURITY CONFERENCE

United Nations Headquarters, New York,15 February 2018 – The President of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, H.E. Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, will be in Munich, Germany, from 16 to 18 February. There he will participate in the Munich Security Conference, a major global forum for the discussion of security policy, as well as current and future security challenges.

While in Munich, the President is expected to hold meetings with: H.E. Mr. Taban Deng Gai, First Vice President of the Republic of South Sudan; H.E. Mr. Erlan Abdyldayev, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic; H.E. Mr. Nikola Dimitrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; H.E. . Prof. Dr. Srđan Darmanović, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Montenegro; H.E. Mr. Sergey V. Lavrov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation; H.E. H.E. Mr. Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission and the European Commissioner for the portfolio of Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, Rule of Law and Charter of Fundamental Rights; H.E. Mr. Thomas Greminger, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE); Mr. Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); and Ms. Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

During the Conference, the President plans to attend the following events: “Defence Cooperation in the EU and NATO: More European, More Connected, More Capable?”; “Present at the Destruction? The Liberal International Order Under Threat”; “Co-operative Security in Europe – Priorities of the New OSCE Secretary General; Nuclear Security: Out of (Arms) Control?”; “In or Out? The Countries In-Between Russia and Europe”; “The Transatlantic Alliance in the Age of ‘America First’ – Sharing Purpose and Burdens”; and “United States Foreign Policy”.

The President will travel to Germany with his Senior Adviser Elif Çalışkan, Speechwriter Cianna O’Connell and Adviser Katharina Kandt.

Travel costs will be covered by the Trust Fund of the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

The President will return to New York on 18 February.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Katharina Kandt, Adviser to the President of the General Assembly, +1 917 244 3890; kandt@un.org