MOSCOW, September 24. /TASS/. Russian Deputy State Duma Speaker Pyotr Tolstoy has suggested replacing some staff members of the US Embassy in Russia with more competent diplomats in the wake of the US failure to timely issue visas for Russian delegates to the UN General Assembly’s session.

"I want our US partners to remember that this is not a visit to the US, but this is a trip to the General Assembly’s session, and these are absolutely different events. If they failed to understand this, well it seems to me that there is the need to replace some staff members of the US Embassy in Russia with those who are more competent. And this concerns the accreditation issue [of US diplomats]," Tolstoy told reporters.

"I believe this is the violation of international commitments, which the United States assumed when it signed an agreement on establishing the UN headquarters. Russia’s response should be as tough as possible," Tolstoy stressed.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chairman of the Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev told TASS that 10 members of Russia’s delegation had failed to receive visas and were unable to take part in the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. According to the senator, in violation of its international commitments, the US side failed to timely issue visas for some members of the official delegation and persons accompanying them.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has described Washington’s move as "outrageous disrespect" towards UN members and also failure to comply with US obligations of the host country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to discuss this situation at his meeting with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, she noted.