Romania demands the Russian Embassy in Bucharest to reduce its staff

On Thursday, Romania imposed on the Russian Embassy in Bucharest to reduce its effective staff in Romania by 40 people, according to a press release by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The measure must be enforced in 30 days.

According to the decision of the Romanian authorities, the Russian Federation must reduce the number of positions in Romania by 51 positions – i.e. by 21 diplomat positions and by 30 technical-administrative staff positions, respectively reduce the staff actually at the post in our country by 40 of people – i.e. with 11 diplomats and 29 people belonging to the technical-administrative staff (the difference between the number of posts and the number of staff actually at the post is explained by the fact that not all positions on the scheme of Russian personnel in Romania are currently occupied) , it is stated in a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the cited source, the measure was adopted in accordance with the provisions of art. 11 para. 1 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of April 18, 1961 which states that “in the absence of an explicit agreement on the mission, the receiving state may request that this force be maintained within the limits of what it considers reasonable and normal, considering the circumstances and conditions existing in this state and the needs of the mission in question”. 

The Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, Vladimir Kuzmin, was informed of this decision on Thursday, during a meeting with the Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs. The choice of the positions that will be reduced and the people who will have to leave Romania will belong, in this phase, to the Russian Federation.

If this deadline is not observed, the Romanian MFA will take measures to implement the decision by withdrawing the accreditation of some members of the diplomatic and technical-administrative staff of the Russian Federation in Romania in order to ensure compliance with the ceiling decided for the limitation of Russian staff in our country.

In retort, the Russian MFA said “it will respond accordingly.” The response was made in a press statement quoted by APA, the press agency by the Azerbaijan news agency.