Russian FM confirms arrest of accounts of Russian consulate-general in Kazakhstan

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday confirmed the arrest of the accounts of the Russian consulate-general in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, earlier this month, saying it was illegal and violated the international principle of inviolability of property. "This issue is now being handled by the foreign ministries of the two countries," a diplomat said. "We regard the move to execute the ruling by a local court as illegal, regardless of the reasons behind it: in this particular case the damage acknowledged by the court. We'll seek a principled legal assessment of what has happened from the Kazakh Foreign Ministry in order to rectify the situation within a reasonable timeframe," he added. The diplomat referred to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 /an international treaty that defines a framework for consular relations between independent countries/ and the norms of international law envisioned by the United Nations Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property of December 2, 2004. "Under international law, each state has a special duty to ensure conditions for normal operation of foreign diplomatic missions and consulates accredited in its territory," the diplomat said.