MOSCOW, February 2. /TASS/. Foreign diplomats attending Russian blogger Alexey Navalny’s court session are free to act in accordance with international law, however, they must not meddle in Russia’s domestic affairs or pressure the court, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
"They are free to act in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, but not outside this convention. Of course, diplomats must not interfere in Russia’s domestic affairs in any way and what is more, they must not allow any actions that would be in any way associated with attempts to pressure an independent court," the spokesman stressed.
He did not specify whether the arrival of diplomats at a court session can be considered an attempt at influencing the situation, noting that the Russian Foreign Ministry is likely to make a statement on the matter.
He pointed out that these foreign diplomats must "define their actions somehow." "Either they agree with the need to take tough action against those who violate the Russian law, or this is an attempt to put pressure on the court. I reckon they will define their position somehow," he said.
Earlier on Tuesday, it was reported that about 20 diplomats of foreign states arrived at the Moscow City Court, where a session on Navalny’s case is being held. According to TASS, diplomats from the US, Bulgaria, Poland, Latvia, Austria and Switzerland are in attendance. They did not provide any comments to the media.