Several countries announced on Tuesday (29) that they are expelling Russian diplomats from their countries. According to the Dutch Foreign Ministry, the country expelled 17 Russian intelligence officers linked to diplomats in the country.
In a tweet, he said the decision was based on information from Dutch intelligence and security services that classified Russian officials as a threat to national security. “This step was taken in coordination with other like-minded countries,” he added.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the 17 diplomats had been expelled, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Belgium has announced that it is expelling 21 Russian diplomats who have been identified as involved in espionage and “influence activities”, said Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes. She said the diplomats are from the Russian embassy and consulate.
Ireland and the Czech Republic also expelled a combined total of five Russian diplomats.
Ireland expelled four senior Russian diplomatic officials, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said in a statement. Coveney said his ministry informed the Russian ambassador of the government’s decision to expel the diplomats due to their activities not being “in accordance with international standards of diplomatic behavior.”
In the Czech Republic, a Russian diplomat at the embassy in Prague has been declared “persona non grata”, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry, adding that, together with their allies, they are “reducing the presence of Russian intelligence in the European Union”.
Russian embassies in Ireland and Belgium condemned the measures, saying they “will not go unanswered”.
“This is an arbitrary and baseless decision, which can only further deteriorate Russian-Irish relations already damaged by Irish participation in illegitimate EU sanctions against Russia,” the Russian Embassy in Ireland said in a statement posted on its Twitter account.
Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Belgium in a statement also called the move “a serious blow to Russian-Belgian relations.” [que] goes against the long history of interaction between the two countries.”
“This hostile action by the Belgian side will certainly not go unanswered,” the statement read.
Source: CNN Brasil
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