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Russia to insist on relocation of some of UN bodies from US if visa problem not settled

US visas have not been granted to eighteen members of the Russian delegation to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly

UNITED NATIONS, October 21. /TASS/. Relocation of the United Nations First Committee, which deals with disarmament issues, from New York will be the only right option if the United States continue to dodge its visa commitments, Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations’ Geneva office Andrei Belousov said on Monday.

"Russia will have to strongly insist on relocating the First Committee and the United Nations Disarmament Commission to Vienna or Geneva. We would be ready to consider other locations, which have necessary infrastructure, as possible venues of these forums," he said at the committee’s meeting. "We see it as the only possible solution to the problems with foreign delegates’ access to UN events, if the United States keeps on refusing to take measures to settle the visa problem."

A diplomatic source told TASS earlier Russia had initiated a draft resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on relocating the First Committee from New York City to Geneva or Vienna.

In all, US visas have not been granted to eighteen members of the Russian delegation to the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. Thus, a third of Russian delegates to the meeting of the First Committee could not take part in its work due to visa problems.