Norwegian Ambassador Robert Kvile was summoned to the Ministry in protest over Oslo’s decision to expel 15 Russian diplomats from the Russian Embassy…reports Asian Lite News
Russia has declared 10 diplomats working at the Norwegian embassy and military attache’s office in Moscow personae non gratae, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
Norwegian Ambassador Robert Kvile was summoned to the Ministry in protest over Oslo’s decision to expel 15 Russian diplomats from the Russian Embassy in Norway and military attache’s office, the Ministry added on Wednesday.
“This hostile step further aggravated the situation in our bilateral relations, which are currently at a critically low level,” it said.
The Ministry added that it would take other measures in response to Oslo’s hostile actions, including potential restrictions on hiring Russian staff at Norwegian diplomatic missions.
Norway expelled 15 Russian diplomats on April 13. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said the embassy staff were expelled for “engaging in activities that were not compatible with their diplomatic status”.
As per the spokesperson, Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs views Moscow’s decision to expel ten Norwegian embassy workers as a response to Norway’s recent move to expel 15 Russian embassy employees on allegations of espionage.
On Wednesday, Russia summoned the Norwegian ambassador and conveyed a ‘strong protest’ regarding Norway’s decision, as per a statement issued by the Russian foreign ministry.
The Russian foreign ministry stated that the expulsion of Norwegian diplomats is a ‘hostile step’ that has worsened the already strained bilateral relations between the two nations.
According to Simenstad from Norway’s ministry, the Russian decision is regarded as a retaliatory action, as all Norwegian diplomats in Russia engage in regular diplomatic activities, which the Russian authorities are aware of.