MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Austria has declared four Russian diplomats personae non gratae, Profil magazine reported.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told TASS that Moscow would inevitably retaliate against these steps.
The Austrian authorities, having decided to expel four Russian diplomats, are thoughtlessly pursuing the West’s anti-Russian policy, and there will be a response to this move, the Russian Embassy said in a statement.
TASS has summarized the key information available so far.
Reports on diplomats’ expulsion
Austria has declared four Russian diplomats personae non gratae, Profil magazine reported. According to the publication, they must leave the country immediately.
Three diplomatic staff members of the embassy and a member of the Russian delegation to the Vienna negotiations on military security and arms control have been declared personae non gratae, the Russian Embassy in Austria said.
Russia’s response
Russia will inevitably retaliate against the expulsion of four Russian diplomats from Austria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky told TASS.
The Austrian authorities, having decided to expel four Russian diplomats, are thoughtlessly pursuing the West’s anti-Russian policy, the Russian Embassy said in a statement. The embassy noted that such actions would inevitably prompt an appropriate response.
Previous expulsion of Russian diplomats from Austria
In May, the Austrian Foreign Ministry declared three staff members of the Russian Embassy and Russia’s Permanent Mission to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe personae non gratae.
The Russian Embassy in Austria noted that "no evidence, let alone proof, has been presented of the alleged violations of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
Actions by European countries
On September 8, Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orban announced the expulsion of 10 staff members of the Russian Embassy in Budapest. In response, a group of staff members of the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow and the Hungarian Consulates General in St. Petersburg and Kazan were ordered to depart Russian territory.
On September 2, the German government decided to close Russia’s Consulate General in Bonn as of September 18. Staff members of Russia’s Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, as well as their family members, were required to depart Germany.
On May 29, Romania decided to close the Russian Consulate General in Constanta, and the consul general was declared persona non grata. On June 25, Russia responded in kind, deciding to close Romania’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg and declare its head persona non grata.
On July 27, Romania announced the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. At the time, the head of the Russian diplomatic mission was handed a verbal note stating that one of the Russian diplomats had to leave the country within five days.
On August 27, Russia responded by declaring a staff member of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata.