Washington [US], April 14: Russia has criticized delays in issuing US visas to Moscow's United Nations delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shortly before key UN Security Council meetings.
"Not a single entry permit has been issued so far," Russia's ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, wrote on Thursday's diplomatic mission's Telegram channel.Russia took over the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council in April. Lavrov is scheduled to chair the council's meetings on April 24 and 25. With the event due to take place in the coming days, there are still several obstacles for Russian diplomats that complicate their trip. For example, the Russian embassy said permission for Lavrov's plane to land has not yet been granted. "We expect the Americans to immediately issue the flight permit without any conditions or restrictions," Antonov said.
He added that any further delay in issuing visas would violate the United States' obligations to the international body as the base of the UN headquarters. Antonov is not the first Russian official to complain about the delays, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov urging a quicker visa process. Relations between Washington and Moscow are very tense. Most recently, the US imposed sanctions directly on Russian President Vladimir Putin and his chief diplomat Lavrov in February due to Russia's continued war on Ukraine.
Source: Qatar Tribune
