Russia Protests US Refusal to Admit Diplomat to UN Talks

Russia has accused the United States of violating the United Nations Headquarters Agreement after Washington failed to issue a visa to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov. He had been due to attend a UN Security Council meeting in New York chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said Moscow had repeatedly urged the US authorities to issue the visa, but without success.

According to Russia, the move breaches US obligations under the UN Headquarters Agreement, which is intended to guarantee representatives of member states access to the organization.

Nebenzia also described Washington’s decision as a sign of disrespect towards both China’s presidency of the Security Council and the UN Charter itself, which was discussed during the meeting. The US State Department did not immediately comment on the allegations.

(reuters, mja)