Swiss bank blocks account of Russia’s permanent envoy to UN in Geneva — diplomatic mission

 

The permanent mission expressed the hope that "the Swiss authorities will reconsider this unseemly position and return to normal practice in diplomatic communication, in line with the Vienna Convention of 1961"

Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva

GENEVA, July 29. /TASS/. A Swiss bank has blocked the personal account of Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva Gennady Gatilov, the diplomatic mission of the Russian Federation said in a commentary released on Friday.

"A number of banks, insurance and car maintenance companies we had long-standing partnerships with decided to abandon the contracts they had with us, while bluntly saying the reason - because we are from Russia. Even the personal account of the Russian permanent representative in Geneva in a local bank, which was used, among other things, to cover medical expenses, has been blocked," the statement said.

The diplomatic mission added that it has become more difficult for Russian diplomats and other officials arriving at various UN meetings and other events in Switzerland to fulfill their professional duties.

"[There are] bans on direct Moscow-Geneva flights, [as well as] tightening by our Swiss colleagues of the previous practice of issuing service visas and other unfriendly measures. Let’s take, for example, the inability of local authorities to provide an air route for the flight of aircraft of our country's top officials," the diplomatic mission stressed recalling the incident with the ban on the overflight of the aircraft of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in March of this year.

The permanent mission expressed the hope that "the Swiss authorities will reconsider this unseemly position and return to normal practice in diplomatic communication, in line with the Vienna Convention of 1961".