Russia is ready to significantly reduce the number of employees of the U.S. Embassy in Russia, and to seize the American Embassy dacha and warehouse as a reflex action to the actions of the American side. This was stated on Friday at a briefing the official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
She warned that “if it will not move, Moscow would have to retaliate”. “The answer is – the size of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow greatly exceeds the number of our Embassy employees in Washington,” – said the representative of the foreign Ministry.
“Ready to give an answer in relation to real estate, she explained. – Closing us access to Russian facilities in the US, the authorities not only grossly violated the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations 1961 year, but our bilateral agreement of 1979, under which we have provided to the American Embassy in Moscow, two plots of land under the cottage and the warehouse.”
“I would not want to bring to the extreme measures that we’ll never in a hurry, – said Zakharov. – Was born a very long pause. If American partners don’t understand us at some point will have to act in this direction.”
According to the diplomat, the previous administration has left a legacy the current leadership a large number of problems and irritants. “If you do not stop this practice, to build cooperation difficult, she said. It concerns the situation with the expulsion of the U.S. six months ago, 35 Russian diplomats and illegal seizure of Russian property, which has diplomatic immunity.”
“The selected objects are not returned. Washington not only overturned the decision to expel our employees, but also refusing to issue visas to those who have to go on a replacement, the diplomat said. – Attempts to make are totally unacceptable linking, is an outspoken zabaltyvanie”.
At the same time the representative of the Russian foreign Ministry stressed that Moscow expects Washington detailed proposals for dipartimenti at the meeting, Deputy foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and US Undersecretary of state Thomas Shannon, which is scheduled for July 17. Maria Zakharova, noted that consultations on issues of bilateral relations. “We hope that now, after the summit in Hamburg on 7 July, the American side will show a constructive approach,” – said Zakharov.
Plans Ryabkov and Shannon to meet on this day reported earlier, the head of the press service of the U.S. Department of state Heather Nauert. According to her, Shannon had thoroughly prepared for this meeting and “sought areas that could discuss” two diplomats.
On Monday, a source in the Russian foreign Ministry told reporters that us-Russian consultations will, in particular, discuss the situation around Russian departmenti. Nauert did not confirm this information.
Ryabkov and Shannon were supposed to meet in St. Petersburg on June 23, but after taken in Washington, the decision on the extension of anti-Russian sanctions in Moscow announced the cancellation of the consultation.