Raul Castro, Obama to address UNGA on Sept 28

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Cuba's President Raul Castro as they hold a bilateral meeting during the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, April 11, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

HAVANA - Cuban President Raul Castro will deliver a speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York in late September, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez announced Wednesday.

Castro is set to participate in UNGA debates on Sept 25 and 28, and to address the assembly on the afternoon of the 28th, Rodriguez said at a press conference in Havana.

Castro, 84, will also meet with other heads of state and government during his trip, said the Foreign Minister, who declined to say whether that will include his US counterpart Barack Obama, who is set to address the General Assembly on the same day.

Raul Castro's first trip to the United States since taking office as head of state in 2008 has been made possible by the recent diplomatic rapprochement between the two former political adversaries.

Castro and Obama held a historic meeting at the Summit of the Americas in April in Panama City, following their surprise joint announcement on Dec 17, 2014 that the two countries had decided to normalize ties after more than 50 years of animosity, mainly on the part of the United States.

On July 20, the two countries officially restored diplomatic ties and reopened their embassies.

Castro's agenda also includes meeting with representatives of different US social segments and Cuban expatriates.

Raul Castro visited the United States once in 1959, going to Houston, Texas, shortly after the Cuban Revolution led by his brother Fidel Castro toppled the dictatorship of Gen. Fulgencio Batista.