NEW YORK, September 27. /TASS/. Even a small step toward stabilizing the relations between Russia and the United States brings satisfaction in work, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said in an interview with TASS First Deputy Director General Mikhail Gusman on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
"We have to work in uneasy conditions. In the first minute of my arrival to the United States, I was notified that our consulate general is being taken away, that our trade mission is being closed down," Antonov said. "Despite my exhaustion, I have dived deep into the sea of problems in Russian-US relations. After working here for a little over two years, I sometimes manage to come to the surface and get a breath of air," he added.
"The most pleasant thing is to be satisfied with your work," the ambassador admitted. "You are satisfied when together with colleagues at the embassy, you manage to get even small results, defend Russia's interests and at the same time make a small step toward stabilizing bilateral relations, stop Americans from rash steps that will lead to an even greater crisis in the relations, organize a very important meeting between politicians, ministers," he added. Antonov said that in the current conditions, calm and thoughtful Russian diplomacy is irreplaceable.
"Now we see many emotional statements and calls in the media that sometimes lead not to compromise and basis for understanding, but on the contrary to dividing peoples," he noted.