Moscow(RIA Novosti) : The British Council has been ordered to close all its offices outside Moscow from the start of next year over tax and legal status violations, the Russian foreign ministry said Wednesday.
“It requires a separate bilateral agreement on the status and conditions of cultural centres to resolve these issues,” none of which currently exist, spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said.
The British Council, offices of which were raided by tax personnel in 2004, has been involved in three years of legal wrangling with Russian authorities over non-payment of tax and questions over its legal status in Russia.
The organization, which is the cultural arm of the British Embassy and promotes education and cultural programmes, first established an office in Moscow in the 1990s and went on to open 14 offices across Russia.