Moscow could mess with the entire European Union in response to Bulgaria’s expulsion of 70 members of the Russian diplomatic corps, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry warned today.
“Bulgaria’s politicized decision to unjustifiably reduce our diplomatic staff in Bulgaria will certainly not go without a bilateral response,” Maria Zakharova said in a Russian diplomatic statement.
Assessing that the expulsion from Bulgaria “far exceeded diplomatic practice”, Zakharova called on Sofia and the EU to “reflect on the principle of reciprocity on which diplomatic relations are based”.
European diplomacy “should understand that reckless support for the anti-Russian actions of various member states imposes on the entire European Union the responsibility of their consequences, including the view of retaliation from our side,” he added.
Russia’s ambassador to Sofia on Friday considered closing its embassy in the country after Bulgaria refused to reverse its decision to expel 70 Russian diplomatic staff.
It is an unprecedented number of deportations announced in this Balkan country, a member of the EU and NATO but traditionally close to Russia.
The EU, for its part, expressed its “regret for the unjustified threat by the Russian Federation to cut off diplomatic relations with Bulgaria”, calling this measure “disproportionate”. Several European countries expelled Russian diplomats following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow responding with similar measures.
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
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