MOSCOW, September 19. /TASS/. The United States has made it extremely difficult for Russian representatives to get visas to attend the UN General Assembly events, and as a result some members of the delegation did not receive entry permits, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told TASS.

"The US side has made it extremely difficult for members of the Russian delegation participating in the General Assembly events to get visas, again delaying things until the last moment. As a result, this lousy tradition continues, and not all Russian representatives have received UN entry permits, which the US is obliged to provide in accordance with its commitments. Among them are Leonid Slutsky, a member of the official delegation and head of the Russian State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, and some heads of Foreign Ministry departments. The State Department made these decisions arbitrarily," Ryabkov said.

In April 2023, the United States did not issue entry permits to individual Russian diplomatic staff, or any journalists in the delegation to attend the UN Security Council, which Russia was chair of at that time.

The High-level Week of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly opens on September 19 in New York. It traditionally brings together heads of state, prime ministers, foreign ministers and representatives of international organizations from around the world. For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the High-level Week will be held without health restrictions. Participants will have to attend all events in person, and video messages will not be allowed. The Russian delegation will be headed by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

As the Foreign Ministry reported earlier, Lavrov plans to hold about 20 bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the General Assembly, as well as talks with representatives of international organizations, including UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.