MOSCOW. Sept 10 (Interfax) - Russia is not issuing visas to employees of the U.S. diplomatic mission to the Russian Federation based on the reciprocity principle, because the U.S. side is acting similarly with regard to Russian diplomatic staff, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said.
"Since visas are not being issued to our people who need to go and replace those working in the United States, we are not issuing visas to U.S. staff under the natural rule of reciprocity," Ryabkov told the Kommersant newspaper.
"We're proposing exchanges, proposing to completely reset this entire situation and start everything from a clean slate. But they don't go for it," he said. "The current situation is not normal," Ryabkov said.
Talking in general about the possible solution to the visa problem between Russia and the U.S., Ryabkov said: "It's not just that there is no progress here, but the situation is getting worse." "American colleagues categorically refuse to move toward solving the visa problem. I noticed that, some quite contentious signals from them regarding the numbers of our personnel in the U.S. and U.S. personnel in Russia have recently appeared in the public space," he said.
"Nothing's stopping American colleagues from sending here as many employees for long-term missions as they believe is necessary within the limit of 455 people established several years ago," he said. "Instead, they have folded up consular services. Visas are not being issued," he said.
"They feel more comfortable whining and complaining, creating a public misconception that they have been drained of blood, while Russia has far more personnel in the U.S.," he went on. "But we work there [in the United States] within the framework of the United Nations, too," Ryabkov said.