Russia hopes to sign non-interference pact with US

Moscow Dec 29 (IANS) Russia has reiterated its wish to reach an agreement with the US on non-interference in each other s internal affairs a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said.

Maria Zakharova on Thursday said the ministry handed US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman a memorandum with such a proposal last Thursday amid "long-standing and systematic aspirations of Washington to influence the developments in Russia in its own interests" Xinhua reported.

"It reaffirmed the willingness to exchange letters or other forms of guarantees of mutual non-interference in electoral and other internal political processes " Zakharova said.

"It s up to the American side to respond " she added.

Zakharova recalled that Russia had been proposing since the 1990s to reach an official agreement with the United States to guarantee non-interference in each other s affairs. Washington has consistently rejected this.

The US has been accusing Russia of interference in the US presidential elections in 2016 which has been denied by Russia.

--IANS
pgh/