Tag: consular

Russia denies US consular visit to jailed journalist Evan Gershkovich

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Russia’s foreign ministry has denied a request from the US for a consular visit to Evan Gershkovich, the American Wall Street Journal reporter jailed on espionage charges.
The ministry said it rejected the request for the 11 May visit in retaliation for the US refusing to grant visas to Russian journalists who planned to accompany Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, on a trip to the UN.
Gershkovich has been in custody since his arrest on 29 March by Russia’s security service on espionage charges that he, his employer and the US government have denied.
He is the first correspondent since the cold war to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and his arrest rattled journalists in the country and drew outrage in the west.
The US has declared Gershkovich to be wrongfully detained and demanded his immediate release.
The Russian denial of the American request for a consular visit to Gershkovich followed Lavrov warning that Moscow “will not forget and will not forgive” the denial of the visas to Russian journalists.
The foreign ministry said on Friday it was also considering other retaliatory measures.
“A protest note was presented in connection with the provocative conduct of the US diplomatic mission, which thwarted the issuing of visas to mass media representatives from the press pool of Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, who were supposed to accompany him on his trip to New York as part of Russia’s presidency of the UN security council,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“The US embassy was informed in this connection that its request for consular access to US citizen Gershkovich, detained on suspicion of espionage, on 11 May was declined,” the ministry statement said. “Other possible retaliatory measures, about which the US side will be duly notified, are being considered.”
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( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 27, 2023
U.S. planning to send a consular team to Sudan to assist fleeing Americans

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The Biden administration has repeatedly vowed it would not organize a large-scale evacuation operation like in Kabul. But President Joe Biden’s team has authorized the use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to assure the safety of evacuating convoys and placed assets in the region for contingencies.
Vedant Patel, a State Department spokesperson, did not confirm the fly away team planning. There has been “no current change in our posture when it comes to our personnel in Sudan,” he said.
The State Department has asked the military for logistical support to move the fly away team, which is currently in Djibouti working to complete the necessary paperwork, to the Port of Sudan, according to a Defense Department official. Another person, a former U.S. official, said the fly away team was assembled and making the necessary preparations for the Port of Sudan deployment. Both were granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive operation.
The Pentagon is looking at options to move the team by ship or by air, the DoD official said. This could include making the 800-mile trip on MV-22 Ospreys stationed in Djibouti, or traveling on one of the nearby U.S. Navy ships.
The U.S. government is currently looking at “what’s the fastest, safest way” to get the consular team to the port, the official said. At the moment, the military “has not been tasked to do anything other than position ships in case they are needed.”
One option to move the team by sea is the destroyer USS Truxtun, which is already on standby off the Port of Sudan. A number of other ships are en route to the region, including the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller, which can act as a floating base or transfer station, and the expeditionary fast transport USNS Brunswick, operated by the Military Sealift Command and designed to rapidly move troops or equipment, according to the DoD official.
There is also an additional supply ship en route to sustain the ships in the region, the DoD official said.
The news that the U.S. is planning to send a consular team to Sudan comes days after a U.S. special forces team conducted a daring mission into the country to evacuate U.S. embassy personnel from Khartoum. About 100 troops made the trip from Djibouti to the capital in three MH-47 twin-rotor transport aircraft, a heavily armed version of the CH-47 Chinook piloted by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment known as the “Night Stalkers.”

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( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

April 26, 2023
Syria, Saudi Arabia agree to resume consular services, flights

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Damascus/Riyadh: Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed in a joint statement to resume consular services and flights, after the bilateral ties have been stranded for years.
The announcement came as Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad wrapped up his visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, the first time since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Xinhua news agency reported.
The statement on Wednesday said both Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to resume the consular services and the flights between the two countries, stressing that both sides have agreed on boosting security and counter-terrorism efforts, according to the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

The two sides discussed the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the crisis in Syria that would end all its repercussions, achieve national reconciliation, and contribute to the return of Syria to its Arab surroundings and the resumption of its natural role in the Arab world, according to the statement.
The two countries also agreed to resolve humanitarian difficulties and offer a suitable environment for assistance to reach all parts of Syria, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The two sides stressed the importance of the return of Syrian refugees and displaced individuals to their areas, along with taking the required steps to stabilise the situation in the country.
Mekdad’s visit to Saudi Arabia came upon the invitation by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, as the relations between both countries are on the way to normalisation.
On Wednesday, Tunisia and Syria decided to reopen their respective embassies to resume diplomatic ties between the two countries.

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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 13, 2023