The US embassy will not comment on the situation surrounding a delay in the issuance of visas to several members of Russia’s delegation to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), an embassy official told TASS.
“Under our rules, we are not supposed to comment on individual cases concerning US visa applications,” the official said.
Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev told TASS earlier that ten members of the Russian delegation had not been issued US visas. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it was “an outrageous example of the United States’ disrespect for UN members and of its failure to fulfill obligations as a host country.” According to Zakharova, the situation would be raised at the upcoming meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, in turn, told TASS that Moscow had protested to the US embassy. Ryabkov added that Moscow would consider various ways to respond to the non-issuance of visas to the Russian delegation’s members.
