Visa Scandal: ‘We Must Force US to Comply With International Law’
A general view shows a United Nations Security Council meeting. File photo
InternationalIndiaAfricaOleg BurunovApart from the Russian press, journalists from other countries may also fail to receive visas due to Washington’s machinations, Iranian political analyst Emad Abshenass told Sputnik. The Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations has voiced hope that the UN leadership will take relevant steps in connection with the US’s decision not to issue visas to the Russian journalists who were to accompany Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on his trip to the UN Security Council (UNSC) session in New York.
"The US behavior is a blatant violation of all international norms and rights," Abshenass said.
He recalled that in 2023, Russia, as a permanent member of the UNSC, is chairing this international organization.
"With the US’ non-issuance of visas to the Russian journalists today, just imagine what Washington may do with other reporters tomorrow," the Iranian political analyst pointed out.
He added that Washington has become “bold with violating its obligations regarding the international community, and the story will not end at this point.”Abshenass also referred to “some Western countries who have been targeted by US media terrorism in order to hush up the truth in the world,” and who have actually launched the largest act of media terrorism in the history of mankind against Russia and Russian journalists.”
"But one should not think that this story is only connected with media terror against Russia," he said, adding that other countries will almost sure face American media terrorism “sooner or later."
He was echoed by Benoit Ngom, head of the African Diplomatic Academy think tank, who told Sputnik that the US’ above-mentioned actions could be perceived as something that restricts freedom of movement, and that “we must force Western countries to comply with international law.”
"Russia and other countries are able to prove that the Americans deliberately and unilaterally denied visas to Russian journalists who were sent to the United Nations, in violation of international agreements," Ngom pointed out.
Given that the US has repeatedly been touted as “a land of law,” he concluded, “we need legal tools [against Washington] so that we can bring this problem to the international level.”Ngom spoke after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the US had breached its own freedom of speech-related assurances by deciding not to issue visas to Russian journalists.”[The US] did something foolish and demonstrated the value of its oaths about protecting freedom of speech, access to information, and so on,” Lavrov told reporters.The same tone was struck by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who underscored that “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 UNSC.
WorldLavrov Spearheads Multilateralism and Fairer World Order in UN Security Council05:00 GMTHe 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.”