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UN General Assembly

Limited visas for Lavrov's pool journalists at UNGA contradict freedom of speech — MFA

According to Maria Zakharova, "it has nothing to do with US security or migration policy"

MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. The US issuing visas to journalists from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's pool who arrived in New York to participate in the UN General Assembly events carrying travel restrictions reflects Washington's infringement of freedom of speech, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik.

"Certainly, this is another restriction that the US is imposing on both freedom of speech and the safety of journalists. It specifically reflects their viewpoint and has nothing to do with US security or migration policy," she said. A TASS correspondent earlier reported that the journalists were issued documents stating they could stay no more than 25 miles from downtown New York.

Correspondents have already faced such restrictions earlier. In September 2023, similar visas were issued for reporters covering Lavrov's participation in the UN High-Level Week. Additionally, in July, during Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council, representatives of Russian media received similar documents, allowing them to travel to the US

solely for immediate transit to the United Nations headquarters. As a result, journalists will be unable to visit Washington for interviews, for instance.

Tags

Foreign policy Media freedom Maria Zakharova UN General Assembly

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