Russian authorities have closed the American Center

The US Embassy in Moscow reported that the Russian authorities closed the American Center in the State Library of Foreign Literature.

The message on the website of the embassy clarifies that the library recently terminated a formal agreement with the US embassy on the support of the American center, and also informed the American diplomats of their intention to change the director of the center and take its activities under full control.

The embassy recalls that the American center worked at the library for about 22 years and served as a venue for meetings with prominent American figures, including astronauts, actors, politicians and writers. Last year alone, the center held more than 400 cultural events that were attended by more than 50 thousands of people.

The US ambassador to Russia, John Tefft, expressed regret over the decision of the Russian side to cease cooperation with the embassy and close the American center. He recalled that earlier, on the initiative of Russia, the largest exchange program FLEX had already been closed.

According to the ambassador, these steps threaten the ties between the Russian and American peoples, which continued even during the Cold War.

The director of the library, Ekaterina Genieva, who recently died, spoke in an interview with the Meduza portal back in July about the intention of the Russian authorities to close the American center at the library. According to Genieva, the initiative came from the Ministry of Culture. At the same time, the department refused to issue the library an official document explaining the reasons for this step.