New round of Russian-U.S. consultations on visa issues expected in December

Russian-U.S. talks on visa issues have been challenging, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeny Ivanov told reporters on Monday.

"I know that they have been rather challenging, some [understanding] has been achieved but things are tenacious," he pointed out in response to a question. "I know that they will continue in December, efforts are underway to find solutions," Ivanov added.

On November 18, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said that Russian and U.S. officials had held consultations in Vienna, discussing an entire range of issues related to the operation of diplomatic missions, including visa issues and the problem of confiscated diplomatic property, TASS reported.

Diplomatic sources said earlier that consultations between Moscow and Washington on bilateral issues had kicked off behind closed doors in Vienna on November 17. Russia’s delegation was led by Director of the Foreign Ministry's Department of North America Alexander Darchiyev and the U.S. delegation was headed by Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Christopher Robinson.