US against escalation with Russia in diplomatic sphere, State Department says

WASHINGTON, August 3. /TASS/. The limitation on the length of diplomatic tours in the US is designated to balance the operations of missions, US State Department Spokesman Ned Price told journalists at a regular press briefing on Monday. As Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov told The National Interest magazine in an interview earlier, last December Washington had handed Russia a list of 24 diplomats who were to leave the country by September 3 due to a unilaterally established three-year limit on the assignment period for Russian personnel in the US. "Well, let me first address Ambassador Antonov’s remarks. I understand he made these remarks during a media interview. But his characterization of the situation is not accurate; it’s incorrect. The three-year limit on visa validity for Russians, it’s nothing new. When visas expire, as you might expect, these individuals are expected to leave the country or apply for an extension," the spokesman asserted. "Our actions on March 2nd and April 15th (sanctions against Russia - TASS), the measures we put into place to hold the Russian Government accountable for its range of threats to our interests and to our people - those were a response. We did not escalate; we did not seek an escalation. Those were a response to the Russian Government’s harmful actions, and we continue to believe that at times like these, we do need open channels of communication between our governments, including through our respective embassies. So we’re continuing to evaluate the situation and will update you as we have new developments," the press secretary explained. "We announced last week that the department will limit the assignment duration of most newly arriving members of foreign, diplomatic, or consular missions in the United States to a maximum of five consecutive years. Now, of course, that doesn’t apply to all missions, but the limitation on duration does help us to balance the lengths of tours for bilateral diplomats assigned to foreign missions in the United States and for U.S. diplomats’ assignments overseas," he added. In response to a question as to why there is a three-year limit in place for the Russian embassy, the spokesman said: "I couldn’t comment as to whether that is unique to Russian diplomats or not." He added that "they can apply for an extension. As in all cases, applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis." At the same time, the spokesman disagreed that this practice with regards to the Russian side is a retaliatory move. The Russian ambassador told The National Interest magazine that the expulsions of the Russian diplomats "are implemented under far-fetched pretexts." "Last December the State Department unilaterally established a three-year limit on the assignment period for Russian personnel in the United States that, as far as we know, is not applied to any other country," he noted. Additionally, according to the diplomat, "the U.S. authorities cancel valid visas of spouses and children of our staff with no reasons provided.". Read more