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Moscow requests experts to prepare lawsuit against US over seizure of diplomatic property

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov declined to outline a timeframe for the work
Russia’s Foreign Ministry Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS
Russia’s Foreign Ministry
© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

VLADIVOSTOK, September 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has sent requests to experts asking to prepare a lawsuit against the US over the seizure of diplomatic property, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"We have sent requests to a number of experts who know how these things are done," he said. However, Lavrov declined to outline a timeframe for the work. "I don’t know, for I am not an expert in these matters," the Russian top diplomat noted.

When asked what form the lawsuit could take, Lavrov cited Russian President Vladimir Putin who said earlier that this issue would be a test "for the most fair justice system in the world." "Technically, they accept lawsuits from anyone," the Russian foreign minister said.

On Tuesday, Lavrov informed the US Secretary of State about Moscow’s intention to file a lawsuit over Washington’s illegal actions towards Russia’s diplomatic property. "While discussing the current situation in bilateral relations, Lavrov stressed that Washington’s seizure of the Russian diplomatic property in the United States was a blatant violation of international law," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement following a telephone conversation between Lavrov and Tillerson. "The [Russian Foreign] minister drew attention to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement made at a news conference following the BRICS summit in China’s Xiamen, in which he had said Russia planned to use legal proceedings in connection with Washington’s illegal actions."

Putin also said that "the US has stripped Russia of the right to use its property - this is an obvious violation of Russia’s proprietary rights." "First things first, I will give instructions to the Foreign Ministry to take the case to court. Let us see how effectively the vaunted US justice system works," the Russian president added.