MOSCOW, Nov. 7 -- Russia is pressing for a negotiated settlement over its former consulate building in Gdansk as Polish authorities pursue possession through the courts, leaving the property at the centre of a dispute that the closure of the diplomatic post did not resolve.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RIA Novosti that outstanding real-estate issues should be addressed through consultations leading to a new intergovernmental agreement. Her comments set out Moscow's preferred route to a settlement, not an agreement already reached with Warsaw.

The distinction matters because the two sides describe their rights to the property differently. Russia maintains that the premises belong to it under arrangements for ...