El Consulado General de Rusia en Seattle está cerrando

According to the Interfax news agency, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Seattle, Washington, stops receiving citizens since March 26, 2018.

“Due to the decision of the American authorities to close the Russian Consulate General in Seattle, the reception of citizens on passport, visa, citizenship and notary issues stops from March 26, 2018,” states the announcement posted on the website of the Russian diplomatic mission. As reported earlier, the closure of the Consulate General was planned on March 30, 2018.

The Russian diplomatic mission in Seattle consists of 7 officials, 42 people all together with family members in total. “All staff of the Consulate General either will continue to work in one of the Russian overseas institutions in the US, or will go home,” said the Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov.

According to the Consul-adviser of the Russian diplomatic mission in Seattle Khalit Aisin, now the main task of the Consulate General staff is to carry the work of the office to completion until March 30. “We will work to minimize the possible damage from actions of the American side,” he said.

The decision to close the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Seattle and expel 60 Russian diplomats including about ten Russian permanent representatives to the UN, was taken by the US Presidential Administration in response to the poisoning of a former GRU officer Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury on March 4.