The Russian representative office in the Vatican, will change its diplomatic status and become a full-fledged embassy, the Russian government said on its Web site on Saturday.

The government ordered the Foreign Ministry "to establish the number of the Russian Federation embassy's officials in the Vatican."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced the establishment of full diplomatic ties during his visit to the Vatican and meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on December 3, 2009.

The Holy See officially confirmed the establishment of full-fledged diplomatic relations with Russia in early January.The move was hailed by both the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican as a sign of further improvement in relations between the two Christian churches.

Relations between the Churches have improved and high-level visits have become more frequent under Benedict XVI and Russian Patriarch Kirill, who took office in February 2009 after the death of his predecessor Alexy II.

Since 1990, Russia and the Vatican maintained diplomatic representation below the level of ambassador.

MOSCOW, March 20 (RIA Novosti)