BISHKEK, September 7. /TASS/. A senior Russian diplomat has called on the United States to avoid a repeat of what happened last year, when Washington refused to issue or delayed visas to Russian reporters, ahead of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

"We would hate to see a repeat of the episode where visas to journalists who were to accompany [Russian Foreign] Minister [Sergey] Lavrov on his trip to New York were issued too late or never issued at all. However, things are moving along and it’s too early to draw any conclusions here," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, when asked by a TASS reporter how the US is handling the visa issue ahead of the UNGA events.

The Russian delegation led by Lavrov is still expecting to receive visas to attend the UNGA High-Level Week, Ryabkov said. "The process is ongoing. Not everyone who is to accompany Lavrov has been issued a visa, but some [delegates] already have them. This work is ongoing," the diplomat added.

The central event, the General Assembly High-Level Week 2023, will open in New York City on September 19.

In the spring, the Lavrov-led delegation had difficulty getting US visas to participate in UN Security Council meetings on April 24 and 25, while Russian reporters didn’t receive them at all.