US, Russian diplomats discuss bilateral relations, present credentials

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Lynne Tracy, the new US ambassador to Russia, on Monday held her first meeting in the country since her arrival and presented her credentials to Sergey Ryabkov, the deputy foreign minister.

“During the conversation on some topical issues of bilateral relations, which have sharply aggravated recently due to Washington's fault, the head of the American diplomatic mission was pointed to the counterproductiveness of the current US confrontational course, which is fraught with serious negative consequences,” said a Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

Ryabkov stressed that the Russian side expects Tracy to “strictly follow the requirements of Russian laws in her activities, observe our norms and customs, and adhere to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of the host country.”

Earlier, the US Embassy to Russia said on Twitter: “Ambassador Tracy pays special attention to maintaining dialogue between our countries in a time of tension, protecting US citizens in the Russian Federation, and maintaining relations between the peoples of the US and Russia.”

Tracy, the former US envoy to Armenia, was confirmed in December as Washington’s new ambassador to Moscow.