US, Russia make progress toward resolving diplomats spat: State Department
The progress, first reported by the Washington Post, came
during a meeting with Russian officials in Vienna by a US delegation led by
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs
Christopher Robinson.
The policy known as authorised departure had been
implemented by the US embassy in Moscow in August to allow family members to
leave the country voluntary, amid a diplomatic row between the two nations over
how long diplomats can remain at their bilateral missions.
Following the Vienna meeting, authorised departure has been
ended, a State Department spokesperson said in an email on Friday. "These
are ongoing issues, which we continue to engage on. We have made progress in
recent days on bilateral issues and hope to continue to move in that
direction."
The tussle over diplomats comes as tensions are heightened
over what Washington and its allies say are provocative troop movements by
Russia near its border with Ukraine.
Russia said on Wednesday it was ordering US Embassy staff
who have been in Moscow for more than three years to fly home by Jan 31, a
retaliatory move for a US decision to limit the terms of Russian diplomats.
The step came after Russia's ambassador to the United States
said last week that 27 Russian diplomats and their families were being expelled
from the United States and would leave on Jan 30. Washington said the diplomats
were not expelled but had been in the country for longer than a new three-year limit.
"We need to have open channels of communication
particularly during times of heightened tension. A functioning Embassy is
critical to diplomacy and why we continue the hard work of addressing this
issue," the State Department spokesperson added.
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