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Anti-Russian sanctions

Russian lawmakers refuse to travel to US without Matviyenko

The US embassy in Moscow has issued the entry visa to Russian Federation Council Speaker but with restrictions which are banning her from participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union events

Valentina Matviyenko Press Service of the Russian Federation Council

Valentina Matviyenko

© Press Service of the Russian Federation Council

MOSCOW, August 26 /TASS/. There is no sense for members of the Russian Federation Council (upper house of parliament) to travel to the United States without Speaker Valentina Matviyenko who was supposed to lead the delegation, Andrey Klimov, the deputy head of the Federation Council Committee for International Affairs, told TASS on Wednesday.

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US makes Russian delegation’s visit impossible by granting limited visa to its head — FM

The U.S. embassy in Moscow has issued the entry visa to Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko but with restrictions, which are banning her from participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union events in New York.

Klimov confirmed that the Russian delegation would not go to the United States without Matviyenko.

Matviyenko was supposed to attend the 10th Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament in New York , due to take place on August 29-30; and the 4th World Conference of Women Speakers of Parliament due to be held in New York between August 31 and September 2.

"If Matviyenko does not go, then none of us will go. The trip’s main purpose was to attend a meeting of women speakers of parliament. No one could and should have replaced Matviyenko," Klimov said.

"The Americans have acted like Jesuits. They have issued a visa, which will not allow Matviyenko to attend the IPU events. This brings the trip’s main purpose to nought. The Americans’ behavior has demonstrated their slapdash attitude to international parliamentary organizations and parliamentarians as such, including women," Klimov stressed.

Formally, the United States picked on the fact that the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) was not a United Nations institution, Klimov explained adding that the IPU was twice as old as the United Nations and united almost all parliamentarians around the globe.

But the United States is not its member, Klimov stressed.

"The IPU headquarters is in Geneva where we have never had any problems," he concluded.

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Foreign policy Sanctions vs. Russia Valentina Matviyenko

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