Boris Johnson's girlfriend denied US visa over visit to unrecognized state

Carrie Symonds, the partner of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has reportedly been denied a visa to visit the US due to a five-day trip to Somaliland in East Africa last year, a region with severe political unrest.

Symonds, who moved into 10 Downing Street when Johnson became prime minister in July, was hoping to visit the US in the next few days as part of her adviser role for Oceana, a US-based environmental non-profit organization.

However, US authorities have blocked her entry, Report informs citing Daily Mail. The paper reports that during her 2018 trip to Somaliland, a country that does not have diplomatic relations with the US, Symonds met with Muse Bihi Abdi, the nation’s self-declared president, to discuss sea pollution and female genital mutilation.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Symonds cannot officially apply for assistance in receiving visa to the premier's chancellory, since she is not married to Johnson, who is still in legal marriage with Marina Wiler.

Symonds, US diplomatic mission and Downing street decline to comment. One of the diplomatic sources voiced hope that the problem will be resolved in time for Symonds to visit the United States, as planned.