Live
Audio Only
On Friday, the European Union lamented the expulsion of 18 of its diplomatic personnel from Russia.
The Russian Government has expelled 18 envoys from the EU diplomatic mission to Moscow as a protest against the unjustified declaration of 19 staffers of Russia’s Permanent Mission to the EU as personae non-grata. On Friday, the European Commission spokesman Peter Stano released a statement that announced the bloc's regret in the Russian decision, describing it as unjustified.
RELATED:
Sanctions on Russia Foster Commodity Prices Surge in Uganda
"The European Union deplores the unjustified, baseless decision of the Russian Federation to expel 18 members of the Delegation of the European Union to the Russian Federation," read the communiquè released by the EU.
"The EU diplomats in question exercise their functions in the framework of and in full respect for the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." The spokesman urged the Kremlin to cease the special military operation conducted in Ukraine.
He invited Russia "to return to the respect of international rules and to a cooperative approach in its international relations," as earlier on Friday, the Kremlin had designated 18 staff members of the EU office in Moscow as personae non-gratae.
Russia on Friday expelled 18 European Union diplomats in retaliation for Brussels' decision to declare 19 Russians personae non gratae earlier this month. https://t.co/6BRCk6cu0G
— ANews (@anews) April 15, 2022
According to the Russian FM, the EU Ambassador to Russia, Markus Ederer, was summoned to the Ministry. He was handed a resolute protest over the unjustified declaration of 19 staffers of Russia’s Permanent Mission to the European Union personae non-gratae on April 5.
"Russia declared that the EU is responsible for the systematic demolition of the architecture of bilateral dialogue and cooperation that has been built up over decades. It pointed out that the European Union needs to strictly abide by the requirements of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the Ministry said.
Since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, several countries have been imposing sanctions on Moscow, including the expulsion of Russian personnel from its mission to countries such as the U.S., the European Union, and the United Kingdom, along with some other states.
Newsletter
