By Do Je-hae
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will join the May 9 celebrations in Moscow to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
"While in Russia, Ban will meet President Vladimir Putin," Ban's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said at a U.N. briefing, Monday. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova will accompany him.
The U.N. chief will also visit Gdansk, Poland, Thursday and will be in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, to attend events marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. He will return to the U.N. on May 11.
More than 20 foreign leaders will attend Victory Day, Russia’s biggest military parade.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said 25 country leaders and representatives of international organizations had confirmed their attendance.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Moscow on May 10. She and President Putin will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Russian capital.
Some politicians have rejected Russia's invitation, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye and the presidents of Bulgaria, Poland, Finland, Israel, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
U.S. President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande will also skip the Kremlin's celebrations.
North Korea will send Kim Yong-nam, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cancelled his attendance at the last minute.
Ban will receive an honorary doctorate from Ewha Womans University on May 20, during his visit to Korea for the World Education Forum in Songdo, Incheon.
The university is recognizing his efforts to promote women’s rights through the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).