MOSCOW. Feb 9 (Interfax) - The Russian Foreign Ministry has explained why Luke Harding, The Guardian's Moscow correspondent, has been barred from entering Russia and suggested that, if he complies with certain regulations, he will be able to resume his work in Moscow.
Harding violated a number of rules concerning the work of foreign correspondents in Russia, which were endorsed by the federal government, the Foreign Ministry said.
"In particular, having applied for and received the extension of his accreditation at the end of November last year, Harding left Moscow for London for his own business without receiving a foreign correspondent press card issued in his name, although he knew he should have done that," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary on Tuesday.
"If Harding is still interested in working in Russia during his entry visa's validity term, he needs to settle the issues related to his accreditation with the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department," it said.
"If Luke Harding complies with these rules, which are the same for all foreign correspondents, there will be no problems with his entry to the Russian Federation," it said.
According to earlier reports, the Guardian reported on the deportation of its reporter Luke Harding from Russia on Monday. According to the Guardian, Harding returned to Russia the past weekend, but was denied entry at passport control and was sent back to the UK.
Harding was given no specific reason for the decision, although an airport security official working for the Federal Border Service, an arm of the FSB intelligence agency, told him: "For you Russia is closed," the Guardian reported.
The newspaper said Harding has possibly been the first British journalist deported from Russia since the end of the Cold War.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday he would look into why Harding was recently barred from entering Russia.
"This issue was brought up in a telephone conversation between the Russian foreign minister and the British foreign secretary. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov promised to his British counterpart to look into the situation," the Foreign Ministry told Interfax.