UNGA Should Relocate 1st Committee to Geneva Amid US Visa Denials - Russia Deputy Envoy

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Russia proposed to relocate the UN General Assembly First Committee - which deals with questions of disarmament and international security - from New York to Geneva or Vienna amid the refusal by US authorities to promptly issue visas to Russian diplomats, Russia’s Deputy Ambassador to the UN Dmitry Polyanskiy said.

"In order to normalize the work of the First Committee and the United Nations Disarmament Commission, we believe it necessary to consider holding their respective sessions in 2020 outside the United States, for example, in Vienna or Geneva," Polyanskiy said during a UN General Assembly meeting on Thursday.

Polyanskiy added that while the visa issue remains unresolved, Russia also suggests switching the format of the First Committee’s formal consultations to an informal session.

Earlier, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a press briefing that the United Nations is greatly concerned about the practice of the United States to deny visas to members of the Russian delegation scheduled to participate in the UN General Assembly.