MOSCOW, RUSSIA – Russia said Tuesday that visas had been issued for Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and members of his delegation to attend the UN General Assembly in New York later this month.
Moscow had earlier expressed alarm that US entry visas had not yet been issued for 56 representatives of the Russian delegation that Lavrov is leading to the assembly from September 20 to 26 at UN headquarters.
The United States is not allowed to prevent representatives of member states from travelling to UN headquarters, despite visa bans imposed on senior Russian officials over Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine.
“Visas were delivered today for Lavrov and a number of accompanying persons,” Russian news agencies quoted the foreign ministry as saying, without specifying how many visas had been issued.
“We expect the issuance of visas to the remaining delegation members, as well the prompt resolution of logistical issues, given the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States,” it said.
Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres earlier this month complaining that the visas had not yet been received.
“Visa issuance is the legal duty of the Host country, not a right or a privilege,” he wrote.