Russia lashes out at US for denying its journalists visas: ‘It’s a cowardly attitude’

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In a new confrontation with Washington, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said this Sunday that Moscow “will not forgive” to the United States for his refusal to grant visas to journalists who were to accompany him to the United Nations headquarters.

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“We will not forget, we will not forgive,” warned Lavrov, who will chair the UN Security Council meetings in New York, the body’s headquarters, on Monday and Tuesday.

The Russian minister described Washington’s decision as “stupid” and “coward”.

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Russia assumes the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council this month, which is the turn of one country each month – whether it is a permanent member or not – in alphabetical order. The Russian presidency has unleashed a avalanche of criticisms in full offensive in Ukraine.

“A country that claims to be the smartest, the strongest, the freest, backed down and even did something stupid,” lamented Lavrov.

The United States, he continued, “proved its freedom of speech” by refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Friday at a conference on arms shipments to Ukraine.  Photo: AFP

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Friday at a conference on arms shipments to Ukraine. Photo: AFP

A few hours earlier, the deputy minister, Sergei Riabkov, had indicated that, despite “repeated contacts in recent days” from Moscow, Washington had not “granted visas” to journalists who were to accompany Lavrov to the United States.

Riabkov criticized “a scandalous and absolutely unacceptable method” from the United States and accused them of pretending to work to “find a solution”.

“We will find ways to respond to this so that Americans will long remember that this has not been done. And they will remember that,” she warned.

Retaliation

A diplomatic source quoted by Russia’s Ria Novosti news agency said that, in retaliation, “there is no doubt that American journalists in Russia will experience all the ‘hardships and inconveniences’, and a similar attitude” from the Russian authorities . .

The US State Department, interviewed by the AFP agency, said it routinely granted visas to Russian delegates for UN events but justified the deadlines for processing applications by referring to the restrictions imposed on the staff of the embassy of the States United in Moscow, the number of which has been significantly reduced since the beginning of the military offensive in Ukraine.

“We process hundreds of visas every year for delegates from Russia to UN events. To ensure that the treatment is done on time, we regularly remind Russia’s UN mission – as we do to all other UN missions – that the United States needs [recibir] questions as soon as possible,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement.

Source: AFP and EFE

Source: Clarin

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