Three European countries announced the expulsion of personnel from Russian diplomatic agencies, Russia said the move was baseless
Xinhua News Agency, New York, February 8th. Xinhua News Agency’s foreign correspondents report: Germany, Sweden, Poland and other European countries announced on the 8th the expulsion of personnel from Russian diplomatic agencies in their respective countries. Response.
On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the move was baseless and unfriendly, and was an interference in Russia's internal affairs.
The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day that according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a staff member of the Russian Embassy in Germany was declared an "unwelcome person" and stated that this was a response to Russia's announcement on the 5th to expel German diplomats. Response.
Swedish Foreign Minister Linde said on social media that Sweden has notified the Russian ambassador to Sweden to request a staff member of the Russian embassy to leave the country.
She said that Russia's decision to expel "Swedish diplomats who only perform their duties" is unacceptable, and this is a "clear response" to this decision.
The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement stating that the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity and in coordination with Germany and Sweden, decided to declare a staff member of the Russian Consulate in Poznan as an "unwelcome person" and asked him to leave the country.
In response to the expulsion of personnel from Russian diplomatic agencies by the three European countries, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zakharova said in an interview with Russian media on the 8th that Russia believes that the actions of Germany, Sweden, and Poland to expel personnel from Russian diplomatic agencies are baseless and unfriendly. It is a continuation of a series of actions taken by the West against Russia. Russia believes that these actions are interference in Russia's internal affairs.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs website issued a statement on the 5th, stating that the Russian side has lodged a protest to Sweden, Poland and Germany regarding the involvement of relevant personnel of the Swedish and Polish consulates in St. Petersburg and the German embassy in Russia on January 23.
According to the relevant provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Russia declared relevant personnel as "unwelcome persons" and required them to leave the country in the near future.
When Russian opposition activist Navalny returned to Russia from Germany on January 17, Russian law enforcement agencies arrested him for repeatedly violating probation provisions.
On January 23, supporters of Navalny organized demonstrations in many cities, including Moscow, without approval.
On February 2, the Moscow City District Court sentenced Navalny to three and a half years in prison.
(Participating reporters: Ren Ke, Fu Yiming, Chen Xu, Wu Gang)