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Russia urges US to promptly restore phone communication at Consulate General in New York

Phone lines at the diplomatic mission have been down since Tuesday

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Russian Foreign Ministry Press Office/TASS

MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. Moscow calls on Washington to promptly take all necessary measures to restore phone communication in the Russian Consulate General in New York, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

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"We address Washington once again: [urging it] to take all the necessary measures to restore normal communication for our diplomats in New York. I would like to underscore that many people who come to the Consulate General are US citizens. You complicate life for them as well," Zakharova said.

The US Department of State, which was officially notified about the malfunction, has distanced itself from the ongoing situation, Zakharova said.

"Such position of the US authorities once again proves the groundlessness of the allegations by the US Embassy in Moscow that American diplomats in Russia, unlike Russian diplomats in the US, have to work in the most tight conditions. We hope that this situation is not an invitation to reciprocity from the American side. I am certain that we have more interesting spheres to apply reciprocity," Zakharova said.

On Tuesday, all phone lines in the Russian Consulate General in New York were reported to be down, on top of which issues with cell phones and Internet connection were also observed. Russian diplomats recommended sending requests for consulate services by email. The Consulate General pointed out that such a situation never happened before. The Office of Foreign Missions of the US Department of State claimed that this issue must be resolved with the phone company.

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