Image copyrightPresidential website

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko surprised some onlookers by taking his 11-year-old son to the UN General Assembly in New York.

Kolya was photographed posing with his father alongside Barack and Michelle Obama at a reception for the summit on Monday.

But he was not just there for the sandwiches.

Kolya also joined world leaders in the seats of the general assembly hall as his father addressed delegates from around the world.

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But it was not a one-off “take your child to work day” for Belarus’s ruling family.

The little boy in a suit often accompanies his father on official business, including a visit to Beijing for China’s World War Two commemorations on 3 September.

Kolya was pictured watching Beijing’s massive military parade alongside the likes of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and lining up for a photo shoot with leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Image copyrightPresidential website

Image copyrightPresidential website

There are claims Mr Lukashenko is grooming his youngest son to be his successor.

Speaking to the BBC in 2012, Mr Lukashenko denied this and insisted the boy was so attached to him that he would not go to sleep without him.

Among other recent trips, Kolya went with his father to the United Arab Emirates in October 2014 where they visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

Image copyrightBelarus embassy

He may be extraordinarily well travelled for an 11-year-old, but some critics have begun to question the increasing impact of all these appearances on his education.

Kolya missed a week of school in September this year – the same amount of time that he missed during six months of 2014, according to the Polish-funded, Belarusian-language TV station Belsat.

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Mr Lukashenko’s tight grip on power has brought criticism from the West – with the US Bush administration describing him in 2005 as the “last dictator in Europe” at the head of an “outpost of tyranny”.

Human rights groups accuse him of widespread abuses.

Meanwhile most Belarusian media channels are controlled by the government.

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Kolya, short for Nikolai, is the youngest of the president’s three sons.

It has been widely reported in Western media that he was born in 2004 as a result of an extra-marital affair between the president and his personal doctor.

Whatever the circumstances of his birth, Kolya has certainly received special attention in recent years – attending numerous world events and meeting global leaders.

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image copyrightGetty Images