ST. PETERSBURG. June 27 (Interfax) - The theft of state assets may become a casus belli under certain conditions, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday.
"The theft of state assets under certain conditions may well be regarded as aggression, and even become a casus belli, as it may give rise to the state's right to individual and collective self-defense as a result," Medvedev said when speaking at a meeting of the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.
"We will be forced to take retaliatory measures based on the principle of reciprocity. The Russian president issued a decree last month on seizing assets belonging to the U.S. and individuals pandering to it. Legislative amendments enforcing it will be adopted shortly," he said.
Medvedev did not specify the size of the assets, saying only that they are well-known. "It is going to be an unpleasant and sensitive blow. But this is a substantial amount, and there's going to be quite an unpleasant and painful blow. At the same time, I'd like to assure you that the rights of good-faith foreign investors in the Russian economy won't be breached; I am talking only about a reciprocal application of these repressive measures. Right now, this is just a warning for other countries that may want to follow America's bad example," he said.
Russia's sovereign assets must be unblocked and returned, he said. "We are calling on all responsible members of the international community to stand up to the blatant breach of international law, to refrain from supporting or recognizing such a crime in order to avoid charges of complicity in the future," Medvedev said.
Medvedev also commented on the decision of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Russian General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov. Failure to honor the immunity of states' officials may also become a step toward an outbreak of war, he said.
"Failure to recognize the immunities of the state, including immunity in respect of property, in respect of officials is the strongest step toward an outbreak of war, and in certain situations, even a nuclear war. That's what the people attempting to provoke these kinds of legal proceedings must think about," Medvedev said.