Cuban President Raul Castro has arrived in New York ahead of the UN General Assembly, the country's first leader to visit the United States in 15 years.
Castro will attend the General Assembly on Friday (local time) to listen to an address from Pope Francis, who helped broker the recent rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.
Washington and Havana restarted diplomatic relations in July after more than half a century of enmity.
Prensa Latina, the Cuban government news agency, said Castro will attend the Sustainable Development Summit at the weekend.
The 84-year-old will then address the General Assembly on Monday, only several hours after US President Barack Obama.
His brother, Fidel Castro, was the last Cuban president to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations in 2000. In recent years, Cuba was represented by Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.
Around 170 world leaders are expected to participate in the UN General Assembly, which this year marks its 70th anniversary.
AFP