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NEW YORK, Mar 27 - RIA Novosti. The United States abuses its rights as a state hosting the UN headquarters, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said, calling the deportation of Russian diplomats, including staff of the permanent mission to the world organization, a "blow".

"The staff of the Russian Federation's permanent mission to the UN are accredited to the UN and fulfill their functional duties exclusively within the organization," Nebenzia told Russian journalists.

He explained that the main documents regulating the status of staff of permanent missions in the United States are the UN Convention on Privileges and Immunities of 1946, as well as the agreement between the United Nations and the United States on the headquarters of the UN in 1947.

"Thus, the expulsion of Russian diplomats, as well as other recent unfriendly steps - depriving of access to Russian diplomatic capacity, non-issuance of visas for mission employees and others - can be regarded as abuse of US rights and obligations of the host state," Nebenzia said.

The Russian permanent representative called the US decision "a blow to our representation." "But I think we are mobilizing," he stressed.

At the same time, Nebenzia called "strange" the desire of Washington to cooperate with Moscow against the backdrop of expulsion of diplomats, and also admitted that Western countries took the appropriate decision before poisoning in Britain the former colonel of the GRU Sergey Skripal and his daughter.

According to the agreement signed by the United States and the United Nations on June 26, 1947, "federal and local authorities of the United States, as well as state authorities, should not obstruct passage to and from the headquarters area of ​​representatives of member states and UN officials ... and their families ".

A separate article of the document states that the above provisions "shall apply regardless of the present relationship between the governments of the individuals of the said persons with the United States Government."

However, if a representative of a state violates the "privileges of staying in the country" - that is, "activities in the US outside of their official duties", it is presumed that "exclusion from US laws and regulations regarding the stay of foreigners" in such a person does not apply will.

Earlier 16 countries of the European Union, as well as the USA, Canada, Norway, Ukraine and several other countries decided to expel Russian diplomats in connection with the incident in Salisbury. In particular, the US authorities announced that they are sending 48 Russian diplomats and 12 employees of the Russian Mission to the United Nations, as well as closing the Russian Consulate General in Seattle.

In the British Salisbury on March 4, ex-employee of the GRU Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yuliya were poisoned by British intelligence. London claims that Moscow is involved in the poisoning of the Violins with substance A234, Russia categorically denies this.

Link: https://ria.ru/world/20180327/1517332066.html