MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. Attempts to recruit Russian diplomats are made not only in the United Stated but also in other countries, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Izvestiya daily.
According to him, diplomats have always been putting their lives at risk. "Nowadays, our work is no less dangerous than it was in the past, taking into consideration the growing threat of international terrorism," the Russian top diplomat said. "There is a memorial plaque installed at the foreign ministry carrying the names of our colleagues who died in the line of duty. In the past few years, the names of staff member from the Russian embassy in Abkhazia Dmitry Vishernev and his wife, member of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan Vadim Nazarov and Russia’s Ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov have been engraved on the plaque.
"Our diplomats often have to work under very difficult conditions while sometimes they find themselves in a hostile environment," the Russian foreign minister noted. "In this regard I could mention Washington’s decision to massively evict our diplomats. This was the Obama administration’s anti-Russian death throes." "This kind of actions, as well as attempts to recruit diplomats accompanied by blackmail and threats, come as no surprise not only in the United States but in other countries as well," the top diplomat stressed.
Lavrov pointed out that Moscow had been continuously working to ensure the safety of the diplomats working abroad. "Personnel of the commandant-on-duty service improve their capabilities, most of them being border guards," he elaborated. "In high-risk countries Russian commandos are deployed to embassies with the permission of those countries’ authorities. In addition, often times Russia engages the services of private security companies."
"After the Ankara tragedy, additional measures were outlined by several state bodies in accordance with President Vladimir Putin’s order, to ensure the safety of our foreign facilities and their staff," the minister said. "These measures are particularly aimed at strengthening defenses and controlling the situation in the areas where our diplomatic missions are located.".