US State Department Spokesperson: We don’t currently recognize any entity as the Syrian government
A US State Department spokesperson said the United States doesn’t recognize the current Syrian government, ending the controversy surrounding visa category changes for the Syrian mission to the United Nations.
Commenting on the news of the visa changes for the Syrian mission to the United Nations, US State Department spokesperson said, “We’ve modified the visas for the Syrian mission because we don’t currently recognize any entity as the government of Syria”.
He added, “Our decision to amend the visa status of members of the Syrian mission to the United Nations is administrative, and there has been no change to the privileges or immunity of the Syrian mission to the United Nations”.
The US State Department statements came, after Washington informed the Syrian mission in New York of a memorandum delivered through the United Nations stipulating a change in its legal status from a permanent mission of a member state to a mission of a government not recognized by the United States.
The memorandum also included the cancellation of the G1 visas granted to members of the mission, which are designated for diplomats accredited to the United Nations and whose governments are recognized in the host country, and the G3 visa category, which is granted to foreign nationals who are eligible to obtain a visa from the United Nations, but whose governments aren’t recognized by the United States.
