Kremlin condemns France for detaining Russian diplomat in Paris: Peskov

MOSCOW - Russia has strongly condemned the detention of a Russian Foreign Ministry staff member at an airport in France, calling it an unacceptable violation of diplomatic norms, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday.

"This is a completely unacceptable action, which contradicts all the obligations of France under the Vienna Convention," Peskov said at a press briefing.

"Our consular representatives in Paris were not granted access to the detained diplomat for an extended period. Of course, we condemn such actions by France and consider them unacceptable toward our diplomatic personnel," he said.

Such behavior by Paris further deteriorates the already strained relations between Russia and France, he added.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that the detention occurred on Sunday when French border authorities detained the Russian diplomat as part of an official delegation without explanation. The authorities reportedly seized the person's phone and computer.

The Russian embassy in France dispatched a consular officer to the Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, but the officer was forced to wait nearly seven hours before any contact was made.

Following a formal note of protest issued by the Russian side to the French Foreign Ministry, the detained official was eventually granted entry into the country.

Zakharova noted that the official remained in the airport's transit zone for nearly a day.