China News Agency, Moscow, January 27 (Reporter Tian Bing) The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 27th, announcing that the Latvian ambassador to Russia must leave Russia within two weeks.
According to a statement issued on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Latvian Chargé d'Affaires in Russia on the 27th to express strong protest against the Latvian leadership's decision to lower the level of diplomatic relations with Russia.
The Russian side emphasized that the reason for the so-called "solidarity" with other Baltic countries by the Latvian side for this step is unacceptable.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed out that since Latvia has made a principled decision, Russia does not need to wait for the resignation time set by Latvia for its ambassador to Russia.
The Latvian ambassador has been given two weeks to leave Russia.
The Latvian leadership should bear full responsibility for the state of relations between the two countries.
The statement emphasized that the provocative actions taken by the Latvian authorities to downgrade the diplomatic representatives of the two countries will have consequences.
Relations between the two countries have been largely destroyed by the Latin side's destructive line, including the complete clearing of Russian-language information spaces, the cleanup of Soviet monuments and cultural heritage, and criminal prosecutions against Russians.
On January 23, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Estonian ambassador to Russia to lodge a solemn protest against the Estonian embassy's significant reduction in the staff size of the Russian embassy in Estonia, and demanded that the Estonian ambassador to Russia leave the country on February 7.
At the same time, the Russian side decided to downgrade the diplomatic representatives of the two countries to the level of charge d'affaires ad interim.
Estonian Foreign Minister Ren Salu said on the 23rd that Estonia has been informed of Russia's decision to lower the level of diplomatic relations with Estonia.
Based on the principle of diplomatic reciprocity, the Russian ambassador to Estonia will also leave Estonia on February 7.
Latvian Foreign Minister Linkeviches said on the 23rd that in view of the situation in Ukraine, Latvia will recall its ambassador to Russia on February 24 and lower the level of diplomatic relations between the two countries to the level of chargé d'affaires ad interim.
Latvia also asked the Russian ambassador to Latvia to leave the country before February 24.
In April last year, Lithuania, one of the three Baltic countries, announced that it would lower the level of diplomatic relations with Russia. In October, the two countries successively announced the expulsion of the other's charge d'affaires in their respective countries.
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