Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov warned Washington that Moscow would respond to the expulsion of envoy adviser Sergei Trepelkov from the United States. The corresponding comment was published on the page of the Russian diplomatic mission in the social network Facebook.
We regard the new expulsion as yet another unfriendly step aimed at reducing the Russian diplomatic presence in the United States. Our responses are predictable.
Persona non grata
On February 24, the US State Department announced the expulsion from Washington of the Minister Counselor of the Russian Embassy. In his commentary, the Russian ambassador confirmed that the diplomatic mission received a note from the State Department that diplomat Sergei Trepelkov had been declared “persona non grata.”
As explained in the State Department, the United States considers the expulsion of Trepelkov as a direct response to the expulsion from Moscow of the deputy head of the American diplomatic mission, Bart Gorman, “who was given two weeks to leave, despite the fact that he did not complete his three-year business trip.”
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Unfriendly move
Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov called such a measure by the American side an unfriendly step and noted that the State Department “deliberately distorts cause and effect.” He recalled that six months ago, Washington forced Moscow to make a decision to terminate Bart Gorman’s business trip when he demanded that another deputy Russian ambassador, also in the rank of minister-counsellor, leave the United States by January 30.
“At the same time, mocking measures were taken against his family. First, the State Department withdrew the accreditation of the children, and then the spouse, who returned to Russia ahead of schedule in the fall, ”Antonov said.
We have made a lot of efforts to stop the escalation imposed by the Americans. They urged the State Department to reconsider its position in order to avoid an exchange of blows. However, we ran into a categorical refusal, accompanied by a threat to arrest our diplomat if he stayed even for one day in Washington. Colleagues disentangle what they themselves have brewed.
Expulsion of Gorman
The fact that Moscow expelled US Deputy Ambassador Bart Gorman from Russia became known on February 17. Gorman was “the second most important official at the US Embassy in Moscow after the ambassador and a key member of the embassy’s senior leadership,” according to a statement by diplomatic spokesman Jason Rebholz.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called Gorman’s expulsion a mirror measure in response to the unjustified expulsion of Russia’s envoy adviser in Washington. At the same time, Zakharova stressed that the US State Department “defiantly ignored” Moscow’s request to extend his stay at least until the arrival of the “replacement”.
Press Secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov called the expulsion of the American diplomat a response to Washington’s provocation.
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Discriminatory approach
Commenting on Gorman’s expulsion, Maria Zakharova accused the United States of a discriminatory approach, stressing that Russia did not start “mass expulsions of diplomats” and “visa war”.
We repeat once again: the mass expulsions of diplomats and the growing “visa war” are not our choice. Unfortunately, in the understanding of the US Administration, the normalization of bilateral relations is a one-way street. Of course, we do not intend to put up with such a discriminatory approach.
Zakharova stressed that the US government, even within the framework of the normalization of bilateral relations, is ready to ensure only its own interests, ignoring everything else. She pointed out that Moscow “repeatedly and at different levels” suggested that Washington stop worsening the conditions for the functioning of the diplomatic missions of both countries and nullify all the restrictions introduced in recent years.
The representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry also recalled that it was the United States that initiated the next exchange of expulsions in September 2021, demanding the departure of 55 Russian diplomats and administrative and technical employees in two stages – until January 30 and June 30, 2022.
Threat of expulsion of the ambassador
In early February, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov announced the threat of his expulsion from Washington by April if Moscow does not fulfill a number of Washington’s conditions for issuing visas to the guards of the American ambassador to Russia.
In addition, Antonov said that by June 30, 28 Russian diplomats would be forced to leave the United States. He recalled that 27 diplomats had already left Washington in January, and called it “a real expulsion.” The Russian Consul General in the United States, Sergei Ovsyannikov, then said that for the first time in history, only five people work in the Consulate General in New York.
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“Visa War”
The strained relations between Russia and the United States have been reflected in the work of the diplomatic departments of both countries for more than a year. A new conflict occurred in August 2021, when the United States brought the composition of its diplomatic missions in line with the new requirements of the Russian government.
For example, Washington was banned from hiring Russians and citizens of third countries in American embassies and consulates. US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan noted that due to these measures, the number of American diplomatic missions in Russia will be reduced to 120 people.
In response, the US State Department announced the need for 24 Russian diplomats to extend their visas or leave the country. However, according to Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, the Russian side acted strictly in accordance with the rules of the host country, sending all the necessary documents to the State Department on time, “however, there was no reaction.”
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