Translated material
The lilac Negro gives us a manto
The American authorities demanded that Russia close the Consulate General in San Francisco and two diplomatic facilities in Washington and New York until September 2. This is stated in the statement of the US State Department, reports Reuters
It is noted that this is a response to the requirements of Russia on reducing the staff of American diplomatic agents that the United States fulfilled. “We believe that this action was unreasonable and is damaged by the common relations between our countries,” said the press secretary of the State Department of Hiser Neurt. She emphasized that diplomatic parity with Russia was not fully achieved and additional steps against Russia may be taken.
The Russian Foreign Ministry reported that on Thursday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and warned about the preparatory measures, setting out their main content. "In response, the Minister expressed regret with a escalation of tension in bilateral relations that began not by us, and indicated that in Moscow new measures announced by the Americans will carefully study, after which our reaction would be reported," the message said .
Currently, four Russian Consulate Generals are working in the United States-in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Houston. At the same time, in Russia there are only three such American diplomaticians - in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Vladivostok. Negotiations on the opening of the fourth were conducted, but as a result, the United States refused these plans.
On July 28, Russia, in response to the law on the new US sanctions, suspended the use by the American Embassy of the cottage in the village of Serebryany Bor in the west of Moscow and warehouses on the road street. In addition, Moscow demanded that Washington reduce the number of diplomats and technical employees at the embassy, as well as the Consulate General of up to 455 people - this is how many employees are now working in Russian diplomatic mission in the United States. According to Vladimir Putin, 755 employees of American representative offices will fall under the reduction.
On July 31, the State Department called inappropriately a reduction in the number of diplomatic mission employees. “These actions are not justified and regret,” the department said.
On August 7, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, after negotiations with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrome, stated that the US administration would have developed a response to the steps taken by Russia by September 1 . However, according to Tillerson, Washington has not yet decided which answer will follow the Demarch of Russia. Tillerson noted that in the negotiations he asked Lavrov “several clarifying questions” about the expulsion of diplomats.
On August 21, the US Embassy in Moscow announced the suspension of the issuance of American non -immigrant visas in Russia. "In connection with the measures adopted by the Russian Federation to limit the number of employees of the US diplomatic mission in the Russian Federation, starting on August 23, 2017, the procedure for issuing non -immigrant visas throughout Russia will be suspended. The procedure for issuing non -immigration visas will be renewed, but in a significantly reduced volume," the embassy said.