Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law declared undesirable in Russia

Russian Politics & Diplomacy December 04, 2015, 10:26

The US-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law president is a US citizen who has been banned from entering Russia until 2025 for activity "aimed against Russia’s interests"

MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Russia’s Prosecutor-General’s Office announced on Friday the activity of the US-Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and the Rule of Law (USRF) is "undesirable" in the country on national security grounds.

"After studying the received materials, the Prosecutor-General’s Office decided to declare the activity of the USRF, a foreign NGO, undesirable on the territory of the Russian Federation," official spokesperson Marina Gridneva said.

The foundation’s president is a US citizen who has been banned from entering Russia until 2025 for activity "aimed against Russia’s interests," she said.

The US foundation has provided financial support to Russian NGOs carrying functions of a "foreign agent" and "participating in political processes in Russia," Gridneva said.

"It has been found that the activity of this organization poses a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation and security of the state," she said.

The information on the decision has been sent to Russia’s Justice Ministry for including the foundation to the list of foreign and international NGOs deemed undesirable in Russia.

The USRF "promotes the development of the private sector in Russia through direct investment and technical assistance to private Russian enterprises," the organization says on its website. It says the mission is to "support the long-term economic development of Russia's market economy, working in close partnership with the Russian government and leading Russian institutions. In this way, USRF seeks to build strong ties between the United States and Russia."

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