US authorities did not give Russian diplomats access to the Russian Consulate General building in San Francisco to retrieve the consular archives, but independently brought them to the Russian embassy, as stated on the Russian Embassy Facebook page.

"The US authorities never granted us access to the Russian Consulate General building in San Francisco, which was closed by them on September 2nd, in order to retrieve the consular archives. Instead, they packed it themselves and took it to Washington. It was done despite repeated protests by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the embassy. On October 23rd, the archives were handed over to the embassy," the embassy noted.

The diplomatic mission explained that consular archives and documents are "inviolable at any time and regardless of their location."

The diplomats said that the US "once again grossly violated the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the bilateral consular convention."

"The contemptuous attitude of Washington authorities towards international law has opened the possibility of similar dealings with US missions in Russia. It is in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, on which diplomatic relations are based," the embassy said.

As reported earlier, the Russians were preparing the materials necessary to file a lawsuit in connection with the situation at the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco.

  Russian Consulate General, USA, Russia

Comments