MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The searches in the Russian Trade Representation building in Washington, DC, is a "crying shame," which will not be met without response, Vladimir Dzhabarov, the first deputy chairman of the Russian upper house’s Foreign Affairs Committee told Sputnik Saturday, adding that provocations against the Russian diplomatic personnel as part of the searches may not be excluded.
Earlier this week, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated the US security services planned to carry out searches in the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, including its employees' apartments, on Saturday. The US State Department declined to comment on the information. Earlier on Saturday, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the searches had begun in the Russian Trade Representation in Washington, DC.
"These searches are a crying shame, violation of the Vienna Convention [on Diplomatic Relations]. The US [authorities] may rest assured that the searches will not be met with no response," Dzhabarov said adding that the "form and terms" of this response will be thought through by the Russian political leadership and the Foreign Ministry.
"[The US authorities] can plant something there and say later that they have found it [in the Russian trade mission premises] … This is an attempt to escalate the Russian-US relations in order to keep them to as low level as possible," Dzhabarov pointed out.
