Russia regrets the expulsion of its diplomats from Slovakia and considers the actions of Bratislava unconstructive This was announced on Tuesday, August 11, at the Russian Embassy in Slovakia.
“We regard the announcement of the Slovak Foreign Ministry on the expulsion of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in the Slovak Republic as an unconstructive and regrettable step of the local authorities, contrary to the spirit of fruitful cooperation between our countries. The Russian side reserves the right to an adequate response, which will undoubtedly follow, “the embassy said in a Facebook statement.
The diplomatic mission noted that the version of the Slovak authorities about the reasons for the expulsion of diplomats looks unprofessional and unworthy.
“The linking of the decision to expel our diplomats with the history of issuing visas at the Consulate General of Slovakia in St. Petersburg, voiced in official Slovak statements and local media reports, is at least bewildering, looks unprofessional and unworthy,” the statement said.
At the same time, despite the unfriendly actions on the part of Bratislava, “the Russian side reaffirms its adherence to the long tradition of pragmatic and mutually respectful relations” between the two countries.
The fact that Slovakia decided to expel three Russian diplomats was reported by Bloomberg a day earlier, citing an anonymous official. He noted that they are suspected of espionage. The information was later confirmed by the Foreign Ministry of Slovakia.
Later, the Slovak media reported that the reason for the expulsion was violations committed by the Russian side when issuing visas at the country’s consulate general in St. Petersburg.
The Russian Foreign Ministry promised a mirror response to the actions of Bratislava.
The US State Department, in turn, welcomed the expulsion of diplomats. According to a State Department spokesman, the Slovak Foreign Ministry sent a clear signal that “it will not tolerate Russia’s politically motivated criminal actions on Slovak territory or in Europe.”
On Tuesday at 13:50 Moscow time, the diplomats flew home on a special Aeroflot flight SU2031 from Budapest.