Russia expects no negative impact on ties with U.S. because of spy row

A spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that authorities in Moscow hoped the recent Russian spy scandal erupted in the United States will not have a negative effect on bilateral relations.

"We hope that the incident linked to the arrest of a group of people in the U.S. on suspicion of spying for Russia will not have a negative impact on Russian-American relations," said the spokesman as quoted by news agencies.

"We have taken note of the statement given by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs," he added, whose name was not specified.

One day ago, a ministry spokesman Andrei Nesterenko accused the alleged reports as "groundless," with "unseemly goals" and with a Cold War spirit.

Later Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin also voiced hope that the spy row would not jeopardize the relationship between Moscow and Washington that is currently in "reset" process.

Apparently in response to Putin, White House spokesman Gibbs said the spy row will not impact the recently warmed-up U.S.-Russia relations.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has just concluded his tour to the United States, during which he and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama vowed to reset and broaden bilateral ties.

U.S. Justice Department said Monday authorities have arrested 10 suspects on charges of spying for Russia. Court documents show they tried to penetrate decision-making circles of the U.S. government.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has admitted Tuesday that these detainees were Russian citizens, whose aim was not targeted against U.S. interests.

Source:Xinhua