Russia announced this Wednesday that it will expel 27 Spanish diplomats, 34 French and 24 Italians, in response to similar measures taken by European countries, a context of tension after the offensive in Ukraine.
(Also read: Russia assures that 959 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered in Azovstal)
Spanish officials expelled
Russia will expel 27 diplomats and staff from the Spanish Embassy in Moscow and the Consulate General in Saint Petersburg in response to the expulsion of the same number of employees from the Russian legation in Spain announced in April by the Spanish Government, the Ministry reported on Wednesday. of Russian Foreign.
These people have been declared “persona non grata” and they must leave Russia within seven days, as transmitted by Russian diplomacy this Wednesday to the Spanish ambassador in Moscow, Marcos Gómez Martínez.
“On the Russian side, a strong protest was presented to him in relation to the provocative announcement made by Madrid to declare 27 employees of the Russian representations in Spain persona non grata,” the department headed by Sergey Lavrov said in a statement.
(You may be interested in: Ukraine blames Russia for the ‘pause’ in the peace negotiations)
Moscow stressed that “this unfriendly step will reflect negatively on Russian-Spanish relations.”
“In response, 27 employees of the Embassy of Spain in Moscow and the Consulate General of Spain in Saint Petersburg have been declared ‘persona non grata,'” Foreign Affairs said in the note.
These people “must leave the territory of the country within 7 days from the moment of delivery of the corresponding notification to the ambassador,” the statement concludes.
On April 5, the Spanish government agreed to expel 27 diplomats and staff from the Russian Embassy in Spain as a sign of rejection of the “terrible actions” of the Russian troops, “the escalation of war crimes” and to “protect the security interests” of Spain.
(Also: Mariupol falls to Russian hands after Ukraine abandons fighting in Azovstal)
Since then, a diplomatic response from Russia has been expected, as the spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs, María Zajárova, announced on the same day, stating that “there will be the corresponding reaction.”
The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, said this Wednesday in Madrid before hearing the Russian announcement that he expected a “symmetrical or almost symmetrical” and “reciprocal” decision from Moscow to the one adopted by Spain, so that it does not expel the ambassador.
The Russian ambassador, Yuri Korchagin, was not included in the list of Russian diplomats expelled from Spain, because Spain aspired to keep the lines of dialogue and negotiation open with Russia.
French and Italians, also expelled
Russia also announced on Wednesday the expulsion of 34 French diplomats in response to the same measure adopted by Paris in April against 41 Russian diplomats stationed in France.
The French ambassador in Moscow, Pierre Lévy, was summoned to the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he was informed that diplomats declared “persona non grata” must leave the country within two weeks, Russian diplomacy reported. it’s a statement.
Paris “strongly condemned” Russia’s announcement, considering that this decision was not based on “any legitimate foundation.”
(Keep reading: Vladimir Putin: ‘Nato expansion is not a direct threat’)
“This decision is presented by the Russian side as a response to France’s decisions” in April, when “several dozen Russian agents” suspected of being spies were expelled, says a statement from the Foreign Ministry.
The decision of the Russian authorities is not based on any legitimate grounds
On the contrary, “the work of the diplomats and staff of our embassy in Russia is fully within the framework of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic and consular relations,” he adds.
“The decision of the Russian authorities is not based on any legitimate basis. We can only regret it“, continues the statement from the French diplomacy.
For its part, Italy described as a “hostile act” the expulsion of its officials, but the head of the Italian government, Mario Draghi, stressed that “breaking diplomatic relations” must be avoided.
“Diplomatic channels should not be broken, because if we achieve peace, we will achieve it through those diplomatic channels,” Draghi said during a press conference in Rome.
The Russian offensive in Ukraine, which began on February 24, has provoked a wave of international condemnation and a barrage of sanctions, accompanied by the expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats by Western countries.
Moscow has retaliated by expelling diplomats from the countries in question from its territory.
AFP and EFE
More news
Finland and Sweden formally submit their application for NATO membership
The European Union’s plan to cut its dependence on Russian gas
UN urges investigation into possible crimes against humanity in Ukraine
#Russia #announces #expulsion #Spanish #Italian #French #diplomats