Zakharova explained the expulsion of US Deputy Ambassador Gorman with a mirror measure
Photo: Alexey Maishev / RIA Novosti
US Deputy Ambassador to Russia Bart Gorman was ordered to leave Russia as a mirror measure in response to the unjustified expulsion of a Russian diplomat from the US. This was told by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova, reports TASS.
She explained that Gorman was declared persona non grata following a similar decision that affected the Russian Minister-Counselor in Washington.
“We repeat once again: the mass expulsions of diplomats and the growing “visa war” are not our choice. Unfortunately, in the understanding of the US Administration, the normalization of bilateral relations is a one-way street,” Zakharova added.
The expulsion of Gorman became known on February 17. Jason Rebholz, a spokesman for the diplomatic mission, noted that “Gorman was the second most important official in the US Embassy in Moscow after the ambassador and a key member of the senior leadership of the embassy.”
