The general debate will open on Tuesday at the UN General Assembly.
The situation in the Middle East, in particular in Syria and Iran, is expected to be central on the agenda of the Assembly's current 67th session.
The Russian delegation is led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
The Syrian conflict has claimed up to 20,000 lives according to estimates by various Syrian opposition groups. The UN estimates the death toll at over 18,000 people. The Syrian authorities say 8,000 were killed. The West is pushing for President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster while Russia and China are trying to prevent outside interference in Syria, saying that the Assad regime and the opposition are both to blame for the bloodshed.
The West led by the United States suspects Iran of pursuing a secret nuclear weapons program, but the Islamic Republic says it needs nuclear power solely for electricity generation.
The General Assembly is the UN’s main deliberative, policymaking and representative body. Comprising all 193 Members of the United Nations, it provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the entire range of international issues covered by the Charter.
