MOSCOW: The Kremlin said on Friday that the United States was deliberately making it difficult for Aeroflot crews to obtain US visas and that it was concerned by the situation.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the hold-ups appeared deliberate because it was “obvious there are no objective reasons for the Americans to have difficulties with visa activity here.”
“Of course we are concerned and would not like this development of events,” Peskov said.
The United States has imposed a series of punitive measures on Russia including expelling dozens of Russian diplomats over a poisoning case in Britain. Moscow responded by expelling 60 US diplomats.
The head of the consular section of the US Embassy in Moscow told Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper on Thursday that it was having difficulties issuing urgent visas to pilots because of a shortage of staff.
Aeroflot told Reuters it had appealed to the Russian Foreign and Transport Ministries for assistance because its crews were not being issued visas.
“We think there are currently enough people with visas to maintain flights for several months,” an Aeroflot spokesperson said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it could not rule out the possibility that flights between Russia and the United States might have to be stopped. (Reporting by Gleb Stolyarov and Dmitry Antonov Editing by Alison Williams)
US is making it hard for Aeroflot crews to get visas
US is making it hard for Aeroflot crews to get visas
Indonesia reaffirms Yemen’s territorial integrity, backs stability efforts amid tensions
- Statement comes after Saudi Arabia bombed a UAE weapons shipment at Yemeni port city
- Jakarta last week said it ‘appreciates’ Riyadh ‘working together’ with Yemen to restore stability
JAKARTA: Indonesia has called for respect for Yemen’s territorial integrity and commended efforts to maintain stability in the region, a day after Saudi Arabia bombed a weapons shipment from the UAE at a Yemeni port city that Riyadh said was intended for separatist forces.
Saudi Arabia carried out a “limited airstrike” at Yemen’s port city of Al-Mukalla in the southern province of Hadramout on Tuesday, following the arrival of an Emirati shipment that came amid heightened tensions linked to advances by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the war-torn country.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “appreciates further efforts by concerned parties to maintain stability and security,” particularly in the provinces of Hadramout and Al-Mahara.
“Indonesia reaffirms the importance of peaceful settlement through an inclusive and comprehensive political dialogue under the coordination of the United Nations and respecting Yemen’s legitimate government and territorial integrity,” Indonesia’s foreign affairs ministry said.
The latest statement comes after Jakarta said last week that it “appreciates the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as other relevant countries, working together with Yemeni stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and restore stability.”
Saudi Arabia leads the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which includes the UAE and was established in 2015 to combat the Houthi rebels, who control most of northern Yemen.
Riyadh has been calling on the STC, which initially supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government against the Houthi rebels, to withdraw after it launched an offensive against the Saudi-backed government troops last month, seeking an independent state in the south.
Indonesia has also urged for “all parties to exercise restraint and avoid unilateral action that could impact security conditions,” and has previously said that the rising tensions in Yemen could “further deteriorate the security situation and exacerbate the suffering” of the Yemeni people.
Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, maintains close ties with both Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are its main trade and investment partners in the Middle East.
