Ivanov to attend UN General Assembly, to meet with Ban Ki-moon, Nimetz

President Gjorge Ivanov is paying a visit to the United States on September 21-29. The purpose of his visit is to attend the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations, where President Ivanov is scheduled to deliver an address at a general debate on Sept. 27.

The Macedonian President in New York will meet with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and with his special envoy in the name talks, Matthew Nimetz, Ivanov's cabinet said in a press release Friday.

The President will reaffirm the request for unblocking Macedonia’s integration processes for membership in the European Union and NATO, by respecting the judgment of International Court of Justice and the international commitments, while also requesting the process led under the auspices of the UN chief for overcoming the difference over the name to be unblocked.

On the sidelines of the General Assembly, bilateral meetings are scheduled between President Ivanov and heads of state and government, and the President will take part at events allowing meetings and contacts with international representatives to occur, such as the reception in honor of the Heads of Delegations hosted by the President of the United States, Barack Obama, the reception hosted by the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and the reception on the occasion of the opening of the new premises of the EU to the UN, organized by the President of the European Council, Herman van Rompuy, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, and the European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Upon arrival in the United States, President Ivanov will meet with representatives of the Macedonian Diaspora in New Jersey, and will attend a dinner organized in his honor by the “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” church board in Cedar Grove and the Sunday liturgy in the church “St. Nikola” in Totowa.

At an invitation of the Harvard University, President Ivanov will deliver a lecture at the Faculty of Law at this University, and will hold a meeting with Macedonian students studying at Harvard.