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UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday started a visit to six Middle East countries before his trip to Germany, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here.
"Later today, the secretary-general will travel to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar and Egypt, as the first part of his visits to the region," Dujarric said.
In Istanbul, the secretary-general is expected to have separate meetings with the president and prime minister of Turkey, the spokesman said.
From there, the secretary-general will travel to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to have discussions with the King, the crown prince and deputy crown prince, as well as with senior officials, he said.
Guterres will then fly to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to deliver remarks at the 2017 World Government Summit, Dujarric said. "While there, Guterres is expected to meet with the leaders from the UAE."
"The secretary-general will also visit Oman and Qatar to exchange views with the respective leaderships," he said.
In Egypt, the secretary-general will meet with the president and members of the government, the spokesman said. "During this tour to the region, the secretary-general expects to discuss a number of issues of regional and global interest."
Guterres will then go on to Bonn and Munich in Germany, for a Group of 20 (G20) Ministerial Meeting and an annual Security Conference respectively, Dujarric said.
