Duma deputy expects Snowden affair will not harm Russian-U.S. relations
MOSCOW. July 16 (Interfax) - Russian State Duma international affairs committee head Alexei Pushkov expects that the U.S. will interpret Russia's actions correctly in considering former CIA employee Edward Snowden's application for asylum and will not foment tensions in relations between the two countries.
"It would be desirable if the U.S. reacts to this situation reasonably and this should not undermine political dialogue that is being normalized between our countries," Pushkov told Interfax on Tuesday.
It would be good if the U.S. takes into account that Russia is not responsible for this situation. Snowden arrived in Russia without an invitation, and his appearance at the transit zone of the Sheremetyevo Airport was quite unexpected for Moscow, he said.
It is quite common in the world that people seeking political asylum are not extradited, and it is important that a lot of people do consider Snowden a human rights defender, he said.
"The U.S. should understand that people who have created a reputation for themselves of rights defenders and fighters for democracy and human rights cannot be extradited," he said.
He also pointed out that the U.S.' closest allies like, for instance, the United Kingdom do not extradite even people "with a different reputation."
"This is how Berezovsky was not extradited to Russia, although it was obvious that the crimes he committed on Russian territory were not related to politics. Zakayev has not been extradited either, and this does not cause the U.S. to frown," Pushkov said.
In addition, he pointed out that, when the United States adopted the Magnitsky Act and introduced blacklists of people barred from entering U.S. territory, Russia "reacted to this in a very moderate way."
Therefore, he hopes the U.S. would treat the situation with understanding.
"It would be great if the U.S. could come to understanding conclusions in this case and not use this as a pretext to foment tensions in relations with Russia. Because Russia has found itself in a situation in which it cannot act otherwise. And this is not because of our desire to complicate the already complicated relations with the U.S. but because this is a very nonstandard situation for us and for Snowden himself," Pushkov said.