UK restricts travel of Russian diplomats — RT World News
The measure will require Russian embassy staff to inform London of any planned travel outside a certain area.
The British Foreign Office has imposed travel restrictions on Russian diplomats, requiring them to inform British authorities before leaving their posts. This is a retaliatory measure, coming after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced similar rules for British diplomats in July.
“In response to Russia’s decision to impose travel notification requirements on British diplomats in Russia, we have introduced reciprocal travel notification requirements for Russian diplomats accredited to the Russian Embassy in London and the consulate general in Edinburgh. » »wrote the British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign Office, Leo Docherty, on Monday in a statement published on the British Parliament website.
“This is in line with the concept of reciprocity of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” Docherty added.
The announcement comes four months after the Russian Foreign Ministry announced similar travel restrictions for British diplomats in Russia, citing the British government. “hostile actions…including obstruction of the normal functioning of Russian diplomatic offices.” »
Under Russian regulations, staff at the British Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in Yekaterinburg are required to inform Russian authorities five days before any travel outside a 120 kilometer zone surrounding these buildings.
Docherty did not say whether the UK would impose a distance limit or similar notification deadline.
Under the Vienna Convention, a government must grant foreign diplomats “freedom of movement and movement within its territory”. The convention does not, however, prohibit governments from implementing rules and regulations to make travel more difficult.
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