Moscow tells U.S. envoy to be more “diplomatic”May 29, 2012 - 18:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. ambassador to Russia should remain diplomatic in his public comments and not jeopardize his country’s ties with Russia, a Russian presidential aide said on Tuesday, May 29, RIA Novosti reported. “The leaders of both countries are set for constructive dialogue,” said Yury Ushakov. “Ambassadors should act in the same spirit and not be at odds with their leadership.” Ushakov's comments refer to remarks made last Friday by U.S. envoy Michael McFaul at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, when he told students Russia had tried to bribe Kyrgyzstan to deny the U.S. use of an air base in the former Soviet republic. He also joked that the U.S. had offered a "smaller" bribe. McFaul also attacked Russia Today, Russia's state-run foreign-language television station, and suggested Moscow had offered its support for U.S. foreign policy in return for a letup on criticism of its human rights record. The Russian Foreign Ministry later protested over his comments as “unprofessional” and going “far beyond the bounds of diplomatic etiquette.” It expressed "utmost bewilderment" at McFaul’s remarks, prompting him to write in his Twitter message: "Still learning the craft of speaking more diplomatically." "My HSE talk highlighted over 20 positive results of 'reset,' that our governments worked together to achieve," he added later. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |