MOSCOW (TASS): Moscow, on the basis of the principle of reciprocity and parity, decided to expand the response list of EU representatives who are banned from entering Russia. This is stated in the message of the Russian Foreign Ministry, distributed on Friday.
“The Russian Federation has repeatedly warned the EU side against using instruments of unilateral restrictions that are illegitimate in international law. In connection with the decisions taken by the European Union, Moscow has openly stated that it reserves the right to retaliate. In this regard, the Russian side, guided by the principle of reciprocity and parity , has decided to expand the response list of representatives of EU member states and institutions who are prohibited from entering the territory of the Russian Federation,” the ministry said.
According to the diplomatic department, the black list includes the heads of European PMCs operating in various regions of the world, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies, legislative and executive authorities of a number of EU member countries, who are personally responsible for promoting anti-Russian policy and “imposing” measures that infringe legal rights of Russian-speaking residents and the media. “A note from the Russian Foreign Ministry informing about this step has been sent to the European Union Delegation in Russia in accordance with the established procedure,” they added on Smolenskaya Square.
The ministry stressed that the EU continues “an illegal, destructive and senseless policy of unilateral restrictions against Russia.” “On a regular basis, discriminatory decisions are stamped in Brussels that arbitrarily restrict the rights of compatriots and Russian organizations. The basis for their adoption has traditionally been unsubstantiated, and sometimes frankly absurd accusations,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
As noted in the Foreign Ministry, the EU has charged a number of representatives of the Russian judicial and law enforcement agencies with assistance in “implanting Russian legislation” in Crimea and Sevastopol. “In other words, the inability to recognize the irreversibility of the free choice made by the Crimeans in March 2014 in favor of reunification with their homeland has been demonstrated again,” the diplomatic department said.
At the same time, Moscow noted that the European Union, for its part, continues to “implant” the norms of European Union legislation everywhere, trying on the role of a “normative superpower.” “Apparently, they should be ready for countermeasures from those forces in the international community that live by the norms of international law on the basis of the UN Charter,” the Russian Foreign Ministry warned.
“We invite Brussels to listen to the increasingly active voices of sensible Europeans calling for the abandonment of the sanctions policy against Russia and its allies that undermines international law and is obviously a dead end. This is an important prerequisite for restoring stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic space, as well as for normalizing the climate of international relations,” the ministry said.
184 employees will remain in Russian embassy: Only 184 employees will remain at the Russian embassy in Washington after another group of diplomatic mission employees leave the country by January 30 due to the requirements of the State Department. Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said this on Friday, answering a media question.
“Last September, the Americans handed over to us a list of 55 employees of Russian bilateral diplomatic missions who are ordered to leave the United States in two stages in 2022. 27 employees must leave the country by January 30, another 28 by June 30. To date, from the first group 23 employees left, four more people return to their homeland on January 29. After this expulsion, 184 employees remain in the Russian embassy, ??including diplomats and administrative and technical staff,” Antonov said, quoted on the embassy’s Facebook page .
“As for our response actions, the word remains with Moscow. Under any circumstances, we act on the basis of reciprocity,” he added. The Russian ambassador stressed that “the Russian side is in favor of creating normal conditions for the life of diplomats in the United States and Russia,” the proposal of the Russian Federation to cancel all restrictions, including the visa sphere, remains in force.
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