Russia and the United States were on Friday embroiled in a new diplomatic dispute after Moscow reacted furiously to charges launched in the United States against 49 current and former Russian diplomats and their wives over a $1.5 million fraud.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement to Russian news agencies that Moscow had many claims against the behaviour of US diplomats in Moscow but had preferred not to bring them into the public sphere.
“We categorically reject the charges against the staff of Russian diplomatic institutions in the United States,” he was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency, saying it was “illegal” for diplomats to have been watched by the authorities in this way.
“If the American authorities have claims against our citizens... they should have been made first through diplomatic channels. This is no more than cheap PR and an attempt to fulfil an order by Russophobes in the US,” he added.
Mr Ryabkov hinted that Russia had many allegations it could lay against American diplomatic staff if it so desired but said Moscow had preferred to stay quiet.
“We have many claims against how American embassy staff work and act. But we do not want to go down the path of a rhetorical war of mutual accusations,” he said.
Read more: Russia rages at US fraud charges against diplomats - DAWN.COM
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in a statement to Russian news agencies that Moscow had many claims against the behaviour of US diplomats in Moscow but had preferred not to bring them into the public sphere.
“We categorically reject the charges against the staff of Russian diplomatic institutions in the United States,” he was quoted as saying by the Itar-Tass news agency, saying it was “illegal” for diplomats to have been watched by the authorities in this way.
“If the American authorities have claims against our citizens... they should have been made first through diplomatic channels. This is no more than cheap PR and an attempt to fulfil an order by Russophobes in the US,” he added.
Mr Ryabkov hinted that Russia had many allegations it could lay against American diplomatic staff if it so desired but said Moscow had preferred to stay quiet.
“We have many claims against how American embassy staff work and act. But we do not want to go down the path of a rhetorical war of mutual accusations,” he said.
Read more: Russia rages at US fraud charges against diplomats - DAWN.COM
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