According to Russia, it has not yet received visas from the United States to allow its delegation to participate in the general debate at the UN General Assembly in New York in around two weeks. In a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres available to the AFP news agency on Friday (local time), Moscow expressed its "concern" about Washington's behavior. The US government blamed Moscow for visa processing delays.
"None of the 56 Russian representatives from the main team and the opening act has so far received an entry visa to the USA," criticized the Russian ambassador Wassily Nebensia in the letter. The situation is similar for the crew and journalists traveling on the plane that Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is supposed to bring to New York as the head of the delegation. "This is all the more alarming given that in recent months the US authorities have repeatedly refused entry visas for Russian delegates who wanted to attend UN events," Nebensia wrote.
A US State Department spokesman said the United States "takes seriously its obligations as a host country to the UN." He cannot comment on specific cases because visa procedures are confidential. However, Washington needs visa applications as early as possible, the spokesman emphasized. This is all the more important given Moscow's "unjustified actions" against the US embassy in Russia. The resulting reduction in staff "limited our ability to process visa applications," the spokesman said.
The general debate of the UN General Assembly will take place from September 20th to 26th this year. According to a 1947 agreement between the US and the UN, the US must not prevent representatives of UN member states from traveling to UN headquarters in New York. "Issuing visas is an obligation of the host country, not a right or a privilege," emphasized Nebensia.
A spokeswoman for Guterres said the UN Secretary-General is "in close contact" with the United States regarding the agreement.
Because of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the United States, like many other Western countries, has imposed severe punitive measures against Moscow. Among other things, Washington issued sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lavrov, which also include a travel ban to the United States.