Russia expels Greek diplomats in retaliatory move

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Russia said on Monday it had summoned Greece’s ambassador to Moscow and told him it was responding in kind to what it called an unfriendly decision by Athens to expel two Russian diplomats.

Greece said in July it had expelled two Russian diplomats and barred two other people from entering the country for trying to bribe officials and foment demonstrations to thwart a deal to allow Macedonia to join NATO.

Russia flatly denied the allegations.

The Embassy of Greece on Leontyevsky Pereulok Street, Moscow, July 11, 2018. /VCG Photo

The Macedonia issue is sensitive in Greece, where political stability is pivotal as the country emerges from a huge debt crisis.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ fragile left-right coalition recently lost two lawmakers who quit after a deal between Athens and Skopje to rename Macedonia, bringing his parliamentary majority to 152 out of a total of 300 seats.

Greece’s decision to expel the Russian diplomats plunged relations between Moscow and Athens, which have religious and cultural links spanning centuries, into a rare crisis.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had hit back, handing Greek Ambassador to Moscow Andreas Friganas a note informing him of “tit-for-tat measures taken by the Russian side.”

The ministry, in its statement, did not name the Greek diplomats it had expelled or say when it had asked them to leave.

Russia’s ambassador to Greece called the original allegations against Russian diplomats “nonsense” and accused Athens of acting without evidence, while the Russian Foreign Ministry warned of unspecified consequences.

Greek police and army officers stand by Greek, Russian and EU flags as they wait for the arrival of Russian President Vladimir Putin in Athens, May 27, 2016. /VCG Photo

Following the initial diplomatic expulsions, Greece said it still sought good relations with Russia.

However, ties have only deteriorated since. Russia’s ambassador to Athens was reported as saying last month that the timing of a planned visit to Greece by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in September was no longer suitable.

(Top image: A parking sign by the Embassy of Greece in Moscow, July 11, 2018. /VCG Photo)

Source(s): Reuters