The Russian foreign minister noted that, while he knew that the United States has a penchant for doing such things – in this particular case, not issuing visas for Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany his delegation to the UN – he was hoping that things would be different this time in light of all the attention to the United States’ outrageous behavior.
"Most importantly, you can rest assured: we will not forget and we will not forgive," Lavrov stated.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has also condemned the United States’ failure to issue visas to Russian journalists who were supposed to accompany their country's delegation to the UN Security Council session in New York and pledged response measures.
"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 told the reporters who arrived at an airport to leave for New York.
18 April 2023, 21:33 GMT
He added that this situation was "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, 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," Ryabkov said.
He stressed that all the events that Lavrov is scheduled to attend in New York are "high-profile newsworthy events."
"And our press pool was bound to be with us. That didn't happen. The responsibility lies squarely on the American side," Ryabkov said, stressing that Moscow will find ways to respond to this move "so that Americans remember for a long time that this is not the way things are done."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the US not issuing visas to Russian journalists is a blatant manipulation of the freedom of speech issue and of journalists' rights.
