Germany, Poland, Sweden expelled one Russian diplomat each on Monday in response to last week's expulsion of diplomats from Russia over their participation in unauthorized rallies
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th February, 2021) Germany, Poland, Sweden expelled one Russian diplomat each on Monday in response to last week's expulsion of diplomats from Russia over their participation in unauthorized rallies.
Last week, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced that diplomats of Sweden, Poland and Germany who had participated in unauthorized rallies in Russia were declared personae non gratae and would leave the country in the near future.
The German Foreign Ministry said it had declared the employee of the Russian Embassy in Berlin persona non grata in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961.
"With this step, the German government is responding to the decision of the Russian Federation of Friday, February 5, 2021. Russia expelled several EU diplomats, including an employee of the German Embassy in Moscow. This decision was in no way justified," the German Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The document states that the German diplomat expelled from Russia "was fulfilling his task stipulated by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, obtaining information about events on the ground by legal means."
Poland has declared an employee of the Russian Consulate General in Poznan persona non grata, the country's foreign ministry said.
The expulsion of a Russian diplomat from Sweden was announced by Foreign Minister Ann Linde.
"We have informed the Russian Ambassador that a person from the Russian embassy is asked to leave Sweden. This is a clear response to the unacceptable decision to expel a Swedish diplomat who was only preforming his duties," she tweeted.
