US closed honorary consulate of Russia in response to Moscow’s actions – RBC

The Russian Embassy has received from the US authorities an official notice about the need to close five of the six honorary consulates Russian who worked in California, Minnesota, Florida and Puerto Rico. This “RIA Novosti” press secretary of the Russian Embassy Yuriy Melnyk. Duties of honorary consuls performed by American citizens. They have withdrawn the accreditation. With the tatus kept Honorary Consul in Colorado.

«We are now looking at what can be done further in terms of the practical response,” – said Miller.

The Russian Foreign Ministry Revocation expressed outrage at the Russian five honorary consuls in the United States. The official representative of the Ministry Maria Zakharova said that “the American intelligence services do not stop provocations against Russian workers diplomatic missions, not only in the United States.” According to her, the consul, who withdrew the accreditation, “threaten criminal prosecution».

In turn, the US Embassy in Russia said that honorary consulates were closed in response to the “Russian intervention in our diplomatic consular activities in Russia”. This was to “Interfax” said embassy spokesman Uilya m Stevens . He said that in Russia there is « widespread harassment of our personnel».

Stevens said that in addition to the closing of the American Center in Moscow, his work had to stop its 28 branches in the regions of Russia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry refuted the accusations against Russia. “Attempts to justify such inappropriate actions accuse us of an escalation of tensions in bilateral affairs does not hold water – said Zakharov. – It is well known that the US unleashed a sanctions aggression against Russia and carry out large-scale Russophobic propaganda all over the world ».

In response to the criticism of American diplomats, Zakharov recalled that in 2013 the United States” lock-finding trips of Americans in Russia Rossotrudnichestvo through deploying a smear campaign in the media and intimidate potential participants in the FBI interrogation ».

The relationship between Russia and the United States deteriorated after the start of the conflict in Ukraine. At the end of last year, both countries attempted to improve them. US Secretary of State John Kerry visited Moscow and held talks with President Vladimir Putin. In January, the topic of conflict settlement in the Donbas discussed presidential aide Vladislav Surkov, Deputy US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, their meeting took place in the Kaliningrad region.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Kerry made the abolition of the US sanctions against Russia in the case of the Minsk agreement on Ukraine . “In good faith effort to both sides to solve this problem legally Minsk implementation of agreements is possible in the coming months,” – said Kerry, speaking at an economic forum in Davos.