Russian FM Sergey Lavrov will attend UN meetings after Washington ordered a visa for him after a long wait. The top Russian diplomat informed that he'd be part of 20 bilateral meetings while in New York.
Lavrov To Represent Moscow in the United Nations
FM Lavrov will have a busy schedule for the upcoming UN General Assembly, according to his ministry, reported RT.
Before this week, it was uncertain whether he would be able to attend the international event because the US could decide not to grant him a visa at any time.
At one briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova outlined the senior Russian diplomat's tentative schedule during one briefing on Thursday, noted Posts of Asia.
She said he would speak at the UN and attend a BRICS and Economic Club meeting, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Before receiving the visa, it was uncertain whether he would attend the 77th UN General Assembly.
According to Moscow, the US did not issue the Russian FM a visa until almost just a few days before the event, despite it having brought to bear personal punitive measures on him.
US Slammed for Blocking Attendance at the UN
Zakharova chided the United States for using what she considered a sneaky tactic. By trying to invent visa rules and making logistical challenges for entry to the UN headquarters in New York, she asserted that Washington discredits its position as the host.
The US has a history of barring undesirable foreign politicians from participating in UN events.
A new instance occurred in January 2020 when the US rejected Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's then-foreign minister, for a visa. In the month when the US assassinated Iranian General Qassem Suleimani, and he sought to personally lambast it at a UN Security Council meeting,
The US was mandated to provide access to foreign representatives "as quickly as possible" under the terms of the 1947 agreement on hosting the UN headquarters. However, the US is adamant that it has the authority to refuse visas for security reasons and international policy.
The UNGA will start on Friday and run through September 26. The major parts of the key events are planned for the next week.
Russian spokeswoman stated that one of the goals of the Russian delegation is to make use of the opportunity to share their opinions on topics they believe to be crucial. Moscow plans to call for the reduction and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, speak against the militarization of space, promote the idea of establishing global rules for the use of cyberspace and denounce attempts to glorify Nazism, Zakharova stated.
Zakharova makes it clear Moscow seeks to endorse the reduction and non-proliferation of WMD, speak out against the militarization of space, back the idea of establishing universal guidelines for the use of cyberspace, and repudiate any attempts to glamorize Nazi ideology. Despite becoming subject to US sanctions, the Russian foreign minister will be allowed to visit New York, per Good Word News.
The Russian FM Lavrov got the US visa to attend the UN meetings, but as Zakharova said, Washington is playing a really twisted game.
