Zakharova has laid upon US the responsibility for the timing of the issuance of visas
MOSCOW, 1 Jul — RIA Novosti. If Washington decides to reduce the number of employees of the American Embassy in Moscow involved in the issue of visas to Russians, it will be the decision of the United States, not Russia, wrote the official representative of the foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova on his page in social network Facebook.
President Vladimir Putin said earlier that the staff of the U.S. mission in Russia is the same as the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission in America by 455 people on each side. The U.S. state Department considered Moscow’s actions unjustified and promised to respond to them. The Russian foreign Ministry on 28 July, called for Washington until September 1 to bring the number of diplomats and technical staff of the diplomatic mission in Moscow in accordance with the number of employees of the Russian diplomatic missions in the United States.
The U.S. Embassy made that the reduction of the decision of the Russian authorities staff of the diplomatic mission would slow down the consulates.
“Linking reducing the number of staff with visas not stand up to scrutiny, as Americans, no one sent, no one dictated and did not specify who to send home and who to leave. Accordingly, if Washington decides to reduce the number of people engaged in visa matters, it will be the decision of Washington, sovereign, deliberate and not forced,” — said Zakharov.