Australia stops leasing land for Russian embassy

Australia's National Capital Authority (NCA) has announced that it is terminating a lease agreement with Russia for its embassy in Canberra, Report informs referring to ABC News.

Authorities have ordered the "premium" block of land near parliament house be vacated within 20 days.

In 2011, Moscow was granted approval to build a new embassy complex in the central Canberra location, to replace its ageing compound, however, the project has been beset by delays for years.

"The Russian Federation had purchased the rights to the site with the intention of building a new embassy to replace their existing embassy in the suburb of Griffith," the NCA said in a statement.

"The NCA granted the lease in December 2008, and the works and building approvals on 31 March 2011 and 23 September 2011, respectively."

NCA chief executive Sally Barnes said her organisation had decided to invoke its "use it or lose it" policy because of the "limited blocks currently available for diplomatic purposes" in the capital.

"The block is a premium site in central Canberra, close to Lake Burley Griffin and the Australian Parliament House."

"On-going unfinished works detract from the overall aesthetic, importance and dignity of the area reserved for diplomatic missions and foreign representation in the National Capital."

The NCA also denied that the termination of the lease was connected to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying it was an "independent issue that arose from a contravention of the lease".