US refuses granting visas to Russian journalists headed to UNSC HQ
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov described the Americans' visa hassle as a game of nerves, a mockery.
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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in the Conference on Disarmament, GenevaMarch 2, 2023 (Reuters)
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov condemned Washington's incepted hassle of visas for Russian journalists headed to the Security Council session at the headquarters in New York. Ryabkov also pledged response measures against Washington's decision.
"The Americans pulled yet another outrageous and totally unacceptable trick in preparation for the participation of Russian Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov in the events of the outgoing Russian presidency of the UN Security Council. A group of Russian journalists who were to accompany Lavrov on this trip were not issued visas until the very last moment. The Americans pretended that they were working and that a solution was about to be found," Ryabkov said.
Ryabkov described the visa hassle as "a game of nerves, a mockery, and yet another reflection of the fact that our colleagues in Washington are not only not to be trusted, they are simply not worth listening to."
"We have repeatedly contacted them on this issue over the last few days. Nevertheless, the result, as you can see, is deplorable, even though we were given assurances that visas are on the way, and are about to be issued. All of this is a lie. This is an outright lie, and it does not paint a good picture of the country that hosts the UN Headquarters. The journalists were supposed to cover the most important event of the Russian presidency of the UN Security Council."
The Russian journalists were meant to accompany Lavrov to New York and cover a set of scheduled events which are all "high-profile newsworthy events."
"Our press pool was bound to be with us. That didn't happen. The responsibility lies squarely on the American side."
Ryabkov stressed that Moscow will adequately respond to the visa hassle "so that Americans remember for a long time that this is not the way things are done."
On his part, Lavrov slammed the US for violating its pledges to protect freedom of speech by denying visas to journalists going to the security council session.
"[The US] did something foolish and demonstrated the value of its oaths about protecting freedom of speech, access to information, and so on," Lavrov said.
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Back in early April, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed out that the United States has not yet provided visas to the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to attend the United Nations Security Council session.
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On April 1st, Russia officially took the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council (UNSC), despite Ukraine calling on members to block the move. the Kremlin announced that it had planned to "exercise all its rights" in the role.
It was also announced by the Russian Foreign Ministry that Lavrov would be leading a debate on the Middle East on April 25.
The Ukrainian Foreign Minister described Russia's presidency of the UNSC as "the worst joke ever for April Fool's Day" and a "stark reminder that something is wrong with the way international security architecture is functioning."
Ukraine's presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak claimed the move was "another rape of international law... an entity that wages an aggressive war, violates the norms of humanitarian and criminal law, destroys the UN Charter, neglects nuclear safety, can't head the world's key security body."
"A country that flagrantly violates the UN Charter and invades its neighbor has no place on the UN Security Council," White House Spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier.
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