The Russian Foreign Ministry expects that Washington will issue Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and members of the delegation accompanying him with entry visas to participate in the events of the UN General Assembly.
This was stated by Director of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Pyotr Ilyichev in an interview with the Russian Novosti agency, where he said that he expects the timely issuance of visas for participation in the High Level Week of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Ilyichev pointed out that the decision of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on August 8 provides for the sending of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia at the head of the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the work of the General Assembly, and continued: “We will assume that Sergey Lavrov, as well as members of the delegation and their deputies indicated in the text of the decision, will receive visas to enter the United States of America in due course.
In late February last year, the United States imposed sanctions on Lavrov, including a travel ban, a freeze on his US assets, and a ban on US companies and individuals from doing business with companies on the sanctions list. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the sanctions illegal, adding that Lavrov does not have accounts in foreign banks.
According to the agreement between the United Nations and the United States of America, as the host country of the headquarters, the American authorities should not interfere with representatives and officials of the Member States of the organization from visiting the United Nations. In the past, the US has repeatedly denied visas to Russian diplomats and experts who planned to attend UN-sponsored conferences.
Source: RIA Novosti