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Russia indignant with facts of spying for hundreds of millions of people - Naryshkin

Russian State Duma Speaker said there are two sided in the Snowden issue
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

BERLIN, July 2 (Itar-Tass) - Russia is indignant with a scandal, which is linked with the spying of the U.S. security services for hundreds of millions of people, State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin, who is currently on a visit in Berlin, said on Tuesday.

In his words, he discussed with the German partners “the facts of total spying for hundreds of millions of people.” “The country, which posed as the most democratic one, is conducting the total spying for people, including the countries, which are its partners,” he noted. The State Duma speaker informed his interlocutors that Russia “is just indignant” with this scandal.

In reply to the question over the personality (of the former CIA agent, who leaked the information about the classified programs of the National Security Agency Edward) Snowden, Naryshkin explained that “there are two sides in this issue.” “On the one side, he is a person, who was cooperating with the security services and leaked the official classified information some time later,” he noted. “But it is needed to understand what motives he had,” the speaker of the lower house of Russian parliament said. “He was not cooperating with the security service of another country, he did not have corrupt intentions in his actions,” Naryshkin said. “It is important to understand the evolution of consciousness of this person,” he said.

“Snowden has been convinced from the childhood that he lives in the happiest country in the world, the most developed democracy, where the rights and freedoms of people are fully protected,” Naryshkin said. “But in the process of work he realized and saw how the system treats the citizens of the country, where they live, and other countries. As I understand, he had the access to the information about the actions of the U.S. troops in Iraq,” the State Duma speaker said. “He (Snowden) wanted and told the whole world about these blatant violations of human rights in the whole world,” Naryshkin recalled.

In reply to the question about the response of the German authorities to the information about total tapping, the State Duma speaker noted that his interlocutors replied to him that “they will address to their U.S. partners, already addressed to them and ask for their comments.”

Edward Snowden, 30, is the former CIA agent, who worked recently on contract in the National Security Agency, which is engaged in electronic intelligence. Fleeing from the United States, he uncovered the classified spying programs, which this agency was implementing in America and all over the world. This fact stirred up a colossal scandal, which is gaining momentum. From the U.S. Snowden went to Hong Kong, from where he went to Moscow, in order to go from the Russian capital in another country, which would grant political asylum to him.