The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced on Monday that it had notified the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Bucharest that a Russian diplomat working in the Romanian capital would be declared persona non grata and would be compelled to leave Romania’s territory.
“Following the European Council decision on March 23-24, 2018, MAE considers that the Salisbury attack represents a threat against the collective security and international law. According to conclusions, the European Council agrees to the UK Government’s report, according to which it’s highly probable that the Russian Federation could be responsible of the attack and to the fact that there is no credible explanation,” reads a ministry’s press release, while announcing a Russian diplomat is expelled.
“We announce that, in solidarity with the UK, according to the provisions of the Vieena Convention on the diplomatic relations, MAE has notified the Russian Federation’s Embassy in Bucharest that one of its diplomats will be declared persona non grata and is compelled to leave Romania’s territory,” MAE says.
Amid Salisbury attack and after UK expelled tens of Russian diplomats, the United States and other European allies have taken similar actions.
Earlier on Monday, the US President Donald Trump has ordered 60 Russian diplomats to leave the country, while Russia has retorted it will respond “proportionately”, as BBC reported.
Overall, 14 EU member states announced ouster of some Russian diplomats, among which there are France (four diplomats), Lithuania (3), Czech Republic (3), Denmark (2), Italy (2), Germany (4), The Netherlands (2), Romania (1) and Poland, according to Bloomberg.
Russia has denied any involvement in the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, southern England. The pair remain in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
Embassy: Expelling Russian diplomats – an act of collective political madness
The Russian Embassy in Bucharest has described as an act of collective political madness the decision of several European states to expel Russian diplomats, a brief release posted on the website of the diplomatic mission reads.
“In connection with the numerous questions of the Romanian press addressed to the Embassy we inform: At the Embassy of Russia in Bucharest, we believe it is very likely that the decision made is the manifestation of collective political madness, especially since there is no other plausible explanation,” the press release reads.