Embassy Statement

The American authorities did not provide us with an access to the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco, closed by their decision since September 2, in order to evacuate its archives. Instead, they have packed the archives on their own and moved them to Washington, DC. It was done regardless of the numerous protests from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from the Embassy.
On October 23 the archives were delivered to the Embassy.
The consulate archives and documents are inviolable at all times and wherever they may be. With such actions the American side has once again grossly violated the corresponding articles of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the bilateral consular convention.
Such neglectful attitude coming from the official Washington towards the international law, our diplomatic and consular missions and properties has paved a way for similar actions towards the U.S. missions in Russia. On the principle of reciprocity, a corner stone of the diplomatic relations.