Washington denies visas to Russian and Iranian officials ahead of UN meeting
Photo: UN Security Council meeting (Getty Images)
The United States denied visas to Russia’s deputy foreign minister and Iran’s foreign minister, preventing both diplomats from attending a UN Security Council meeting in New York, according to Reuters.
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, complained during the Security Council session that the US had refused to issue a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov. The Russian envoy called it a “violation of US obligations.”
Nebenzya said the Russian official had been personally invited by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is currently chairing the meeting. He described Washington’s actions as “an egregious instance of disrespect,” adding that the visa was never granted despite multiple attempts to persuade the US side.
In addition, a UN diplomat told Reuters that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was also denied a visa for the same meeting.
The main topic of the current UN Security Council session, attended by representatives of 15 countries, is compliance with the UN Charter and strengthening multilateral cooperation.
UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said he was unaware of the exact reasons why the Iranian minister was unable to travel to New York. However, he stressed that the organization expects the United States to issue visas to all individuals who need to participate in UN events.
As previously reported, Nebenzya recently spread false claims during a UN Security Council meeting about alleged preparations for Ukrainian drone strikes launched from Latvia and other Baltic states.
Meanwhile, the Council of the European Union has extended for another year sanctions against individuals responsible for human rights violations, repression of the population and opposition, and undermining democracy and the rule of law in Russia.
