Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya confirmed that the Russian delegation participating in the work of the UN General Assembly has not yet received entry visas to the United States.
This is stated in Nebenzia’s letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in which he said that the number of members of the Russian delegation is 56 people.
In the letter, he pointed out that the accompanying journalists and members of the crew of Minister Sergey Lavrov’s plane also did not receive visas.
Nebenzia says that the United States, as the country where the UN is based, is obliged to ensure the participation of delegations in the events of the world organization.
Addressing the UN Secretary General, he continued: “We ask you to confirm to the US authorities the need to issue the necessary visas to all Russian delegates and their accompanying persons, including Russian journalists, who will be in New York to cover the minister’s statements as soon as possible.
The letter also notes that the difficult visa situation has persisted for several months.
“In the past few months, the US has been denying visas to Russian delegates who were supposed to attend official UN events. One of the most recent examples of this kind is the cancellation of the visit of Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev,” says Nebenzya.
The meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York, which is traditionally attended by heads of state and ministers, begins on September 20. According to the preliminary program of the UN General Assembly, the Russian minister will speak on September 24.