MOSCOW. Sept 30 (Interfax) - Russia is considering an asymmetric response to the denial of U.S. visas to some members of the national delegation to the UN General Assembly session, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview with the magazine International Affairs.
"An asymmetric response is an option; we will keep considering it, but for now we are extremely concerned about what the United States could do in the UN's regard. This is not a provocation against Russian citizens; in fact, this is a demonstration of the complete disregard of the organization headquartered in New York," Ryabkov said.
There is a visa war between Russia and the United States, and "it has been waged by the United States," he said. "For a long period of time, we have been experiencing colossal difficulties with long-term posting of employees of our embassy and consulate generals in the United States. We have problems with short-term posting of our personnel, too," Ryabkov said.
"We reciprocate such actions; we are aware that the Americans have difficulties solving their problems here. So we invite the Americans to reach an understanding, instead of applying the 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' principles. This has not been done so far. It seems the people who shape the U.S. policy in regard to Russia have differing priorities and try to speak with us from the position of force, the way they imagine it," he said.
It was reported on September 24 that some members of the Russian delegation to the UN General Assembly session did not receive U.S. visas. The U.S. embassy in Moscow declined to comment to Interfax and said it was "an individual case." Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the United States had thus breached its international obligation to admit foreign politicians headed for the UN General Assembly session. The Russian Foreign Ministry protested against the situation in a statement to the deputy chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Moscow.