Russian Chess Legend Karpov Says Public Outrage Boosted Stalled US Visa Process

Russian Chess Legend Karpov Says Public Outrage Boosted Stalled US Visa Process

The Russian chess grandmaster and a lawmaker, Anatoly Karpov, told Sputnik on Saturday that public outrage, caused by the United States stalling the visa procedures for him for several months, had helped get the process off the ground

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2019) The Russian chess grandmaster and a lawmaker, Anatoly Karpov, told Sputnik on Saturday that public outrage, caused by the United States stalling the visa procedures for him for several months, had helped get the process off the ground.

Karpov, who was invited to the United States to teach chess at a summer camp, has been waiting for his visa since February.

"It seems to me that they [the US Embassy] gave in to pressure. I went through the interview and handed in the documents long ago, but there was no decision. They have been thinking a lot, but this loud campaign has possibly prompted them to make a rational decision," Karpov said.

The grandmaster added that he was expecting a positive reply from the embassy.

The US-Russian relations have been in decay over the past several years, which resulted in reciprocal reductions of the diplomatic missions and slower visa processing.