The United States has informed the Russian Foreign Ministry that a U.S. visa for Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, will be ready on Aug. 26, but the validity of the visa may be limited to only United Nations-related meetings, a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Russia said on Aug. 25.
“We are in touch with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this particular visa case and have informed them that the visa will be ready the next day,” he said.
“As Russian media have correctly reported, the International Parliamentary Assembly is not a United Nations body, and as such does not fall under the hosting obligations,” the spokesperson said.
“The United States reserves the right to limit the validity of a visa to only United Nations-related meetings,” he said.
“The United States is committed to meeting our United Nations host duty obligations,” he said.
It was reported earlier that a Russian delegation led by Matviyenko planned to attend the events of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, due to take place in New York from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.
A representative of the American diplomatic mission in Moscow said on Aug. 24 that the issue concerning a U.S. visa for Matviyenko was still under consideration.
