VILNIUS 's Russia's Ambassador Boris Cepov lashed out at Lithuania in an interview, saying it isn't a country but a rally of brawlers who like to badmouth one another.
"Many decisions are followed by scandals and a bad atmosphere 's someone has eavesdropped, squealed on someone else. I have a feeling that this is not a country but a place for rally of scandal-living brawlers," he was quoted as saying in an interview with the daily Respublika.
"People run around looking for compromising material, and when they find it they wait for the right moment to publicize it. Then everyone is dirty and happy that none of them is clean," he continued.
The ambassador's comments come days after he wrote a scathing response to Lietuvos Rytas, the leading newspaper, after the paper speculated that he was admonished for his failure to convince Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus to go to Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day celebrations.
In the interview, Cepov suggested that if Russians were better informed about developments in Lithuania they would be "dispirited by the fact that anti-Russian spice is everywhere, that Russians are held to blame for everything."
"The hand of Moscow, the KGB spies are always up to no good. That is a child's sickness, only Lithuania is unable to get over it, and therefore it is Russians that are to blame for everything every time," he said.
Asked about Adamkus' decision not to go to Moscow, the ambassador said that "the president is a welcome and honored guest" and the "invitation provided an excellent opportunity to take a huge step forward in developing our relations."
The ambassador said it was unlikely there would be any consequences of the refusal.
"We should not be much disheartened about it, as history will not end on May 9 and we will still coexist as neighbors," he said.
Speaking of recent speculation, particularly from Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas, that Russian diplomats were working too close to Lithuanian lawmakers, Cepov said, "That is not politically correct. Our diplomats follow the parliament's rules in their behavior."
"So far there are no restrictions, as they would be absurd. A ban for diplomats to ask, to inquire 's well, that is a new thing in diplomatic practice. Are you going to seek patent for this 'novelty'?" the ambassador asked rhetorically.
Last week Foreign Minister Antanas Valionis mentioned possible deportation of an unidentified Russian diplomat from Vilnius.
