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NYC's request that diplomats and their entourage show proof of vaccination before being admitted somehow received the backing of General Assembly President Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid. In a statement released on Wednesday, NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio and International Affairs Commissioner Penny Abeywardena thanked UN diplomats ahead of time for "working with us", calling them “true New Yorkers". Unfortunately, not all diplomats are equally enthusiastic. In a letter to colleagues released on Wednesday, Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya denounced these new requirements as "clearly discriminatory" and accused NYC and Shahid of violating the UN charter, which states that the UN is international territory.
A statement from a UN spokesman said the UN has traditionally relied on an "honor system" and that they were working with "the sitting President of the A" to continue the honor system.