Moscow warns the US: Designating Russia a state sponsor of terrorism will be a "point of no return"

IRYNA BALACHUK – SATURDAY, 13 AUGUST 2022, 09:31

Moscow has warned Washington that designating Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism will be a "point of no return" and that Russia might downgrade its diplomatic relations with the US or even break them off, should such a designation be approved.

Source: RBC (RosBiznesConsulting, or Russian Business Consulting), a Kremlin-aligned Russian media group, quoting Aleksandr Darchiyev, head of the North American department at the Russian Foreign Ministry, in an interview for TASS

Quote from Darchiyev: "If [the initiative to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism] is implemented, the Washington will have crossed a point of no return and bilateral diplomatic relations will suffer the most serious of consequences."

Details: Darchiyev has described the current state of relations between the two countries as "turbulent" and stated that Western countries, with the US at the helm, "have trampled on international law and [have carried out actions that are] absolutely taboo in diplomacy".

The US currently designates four countries as state sponsors of terrorism: Iran, China, Cuba and Syria.

RBK notes that being designated as a state sponsor of terrorism has severe consequences in terms of limits on inter-state cooperation, a ban on defence exports, certain controls over the export of dual-use items, as well as financial and other restrictions. In addition, sanctions are put in place against other states that maintain trade relations with the sponsor of terrorism.

Background: On 28 July, the US Senate unanimously approved a non-binding resolution calling for Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism.

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