THE Slovakia announced this Wednesday (30) the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats accused of carrying out espionage activities, as confirmed to EFE by the Spokesperson for the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Juraj Tomaga.
Bratislava informed Russia of its decision after receiving “information from the intelligence services about the activities of another Russian diplomat in violation of the Vienna Convention,” Tomaga said.
The country expelled three Russian embassy employees on March 14, accused of spying, who had to leave Slovakia within 72 hours.
“We are sorry to note that, after the latest expulsions of Russian diplomats over the past two years, the Russian diplomatic mission has shown no interest in maintaining a correct presence in our country,” the spokesperson said.
Regarding the new expulsion, notified this Wednesday to the Russian ambassador in Bratislava, Tomaga said that “this measure is an inevitable reaction to the continuation of the activities of embassy personnel”, actions that “infringe diplomatic norms” and “undermine the interests of the Slovak Republic”.
According to the spokesman, they also hamper “attempts to develop relations as partners with the Russian Federation”.
The staff reduction, implemented in accordance with Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, reduces the number of Russian embassy staff from 69 to 34, according to the Slovakian press.
This is the level that Bratislava considers appropriate in the current circumstances, marked by the war in Ukraine, invaded five weeks ago by decision of the Kremlin.
Slovakia, which has granted humanitarian visas to more than 50,000 refugees from Ukraine and has been a transit country to the Czech Republic for more than 200,000 people fleeing the war, hopes relations with Russia will return to normal after the conflict ends. .
With the reduction, on the other hand, Bratislava considers “closed” the chapter of the activities of the Russian embassy, which, from the point of view of Slovakia, were not in line with the declared interest in maintaining partnership relations”.
#Slovakia #expels #Russian #diplomats #spying