ST. PETERSBURG, June 19. /TASS/. Russia has grounds to put the question of compensations for losses due to arrests of the government property abroad, Minister of Justice Alexander Konovalov said on Friday.
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"Grounds exist for the Russian Federation and for private companies to consider the issue of compensation of losses caused by such arrests, if any, and to approach Russian courts in this regard. Courts are to decide whether to levy execution on the foreign property," Konovalov said.
Lawsuits to courts will be filed after diplomatic negotiations, the justice minister said. "Lawsuits will be filed to competent courts in the countries where such decisions [on arrest of Russia’s property] will be taken," the minister said adding that such applications will definitely take place. "They will be filed definitely unless the situation is settled earlier in a different manner, including by diplomatic methods," Konovalov said, adding that time for such applications will be "reasonable."
At the same time, measures against property of other countries in Russia as a response to arrests of the Russian government property in Europe are in the competence of Russian courts and the Foreign Ministry, the minister said. "Symmetric measures are a diplomatic term. The foreign ministry is to decide what symmetric measures should be taken," Konovalov said.