Dear Consular Service,
As Viasat is the official broadcaster in Sweden of the Olympics games in Sochi, we are sending a big amount of accredited staff to Sochi. Please look for example at the reference nr/telex: 2630679 dated 20.12.2013. Among our crew, a few are bringing family members who we consider our guests and therefore we are trying to help them to arrange a tourist visa.
I visited the embassy yesterday and brought the papers the hotel in Sochi was able to provide as with (a confirmation of these guests bookings). We were not able to go further with our matter with these papers. We have tried to explain Sochi14 and the hotel staff several times that the embassy is asking for an official hotel Reference nr in order to issue a tourist visa, and that this is normally a standard procedure in cooperation between the hotel and touragencies. I understand that it is not your responsibility to arrange the Hotels reference number, but it is certainly out of OUR competency to do so. Everybody we speak to in Sochi claims its not THEIR competency nor responsibility.
Neither the staff at the hotel nor representants from the org-kommitet have the experience nor competency to issue this confirmation number required. Everywhere on the official announcements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia it says that guest of the Olympic games should be treated with priority, however this time it seems more complicated to get a visa than ever before. We understand that there is a lack of communication between certain organizations and also internally in Russia, but it seems that its the end consumer who must pay a price for these poor procedures.
We truly need Your consular help or exception in order for us to help these hotel guests to get a tourist visa. Please, be kind to advice us: What should we do? How can You help us to solve this problem? We only want to make a good job in Sochi and bringing a few family members can not be the most complicated consular problem. I think it must be in all of our interest to make an efficient job for the visitors of Sochi. If these guests will not be helped, they will not be able to go to Sochi, they are family members of reporters and journalists who will work in Sochi. There must be a way to help. Your co-worker Elena called the Hotel yesterday and can confirm that they do not have the competency to issue this. I also left the number to the org-kommitet at the embassy yesterday:
Julia Klimova
Project Manager
Accommodation Function
Cell: +7 928 234 1154
Please feel free to respond in russian or english, whatever is most convenient for You. I would like to book a time to talk to somebody about this matter. Dont hesitate to call me:
