Washington interested in increasing number of Russian students, scientists visiting USA

The US is interested in increasing the number of Russian students and scientists who visit America, said US Ambassador to Russia Alexander Vershbow at a press conference in RIA Novosti on Friday.

"Russia is one of the few countries whose citizens started visiting the US more often after the September 11th events, their number has grown by approximately 8 per cent," Vershbow said.

At the same time, "though the rules have not changed, the visa-issuing procedures have become more complicated which leads to delays", he pointed out. However, "we are trying to make the process painless, reducing the number of necessary visits to the embassy to the minimum," the ambassador emphasised.

"Security issues are our priorities and the sooner you apply for a visa the more easily we will issue it. Give us some time, and we will cope with this task," Vershbow concluded.