The Estonian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Tallinn, Alexander Petrov, to hand him a note announcing one of the diplomats of the Russian embassy persona non grata in response to the expulsion of the Estonian consul Mart Latte from St. Petersburg
HELSINKI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th July, 2021) The Estonian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday it had summoned the Russian ambassador to Tallinn, Alexander Petrov, to hand him a note announcing one of the diplomats of the Russian embassy persona non grata in response to the expulsion of the Estonian consul Mart Latte from St. Petersburg.
"We hope this episode will not harm the bilateral relations of Estonia and Russia. Estonia remains interested in neighbourly and constructive relations. It is still regrettable that Russia has taken an unfriendly line in its communication with the European Union and member states," the statement says.
The FSB of Russia reported that Latte had been detained on July 6 red-handed while receiving classified materials from a Russian citizen. This activity is incompatible with the status of a diplomatic worker and is clearly hostile toward Russia, the FSB said. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry declared Latte persona non grata.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas said earlier that what happened in St. Petersburg was an FSB provocation against an Estonian diplomat who, in her opinion, "was doing his usual work in the host country in accordance with all legal acts."
