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24-04-2023
MOSCOW: Russia has announced tit-for-tat expulsion of more than 20 German diplomats following the “mass” removal of Russian embassy staff from the country and accused Berlin of destroying ties, Russian state media said.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told state-run television Zvezda on Saturday that “more than 20” German diplomats would have to leave.
Her statement came shortly after the ministry denounced “another mass expulsion of employees of Russian diplomatic missions in Germany”.
The German foreign ministry said it took note of the Russian statements.
“The Federal government and the Russian side have been [in] contact in recent weeks on personnel matters in their respective representations abroad,” the German foreign ministry told media.
“Today’s flight is part of that process,” it said, without specifically mentioning any expulsion of Russian diplomats.
Moscow accused Berlin of “continuing to demonstratively destroy the entire range of Russia-Germany relations”.
“As a response to Berlin’s hostile actions, the Russian side has decided to mirror the decision and expel German diplomats from Russia,” the foreign ministry said.
Moscow will also limit the maximum number of employees in German diplomatic missions in the country, and it said Germany’s ambassador Geza Andreas von Geyr was notified of the measures on April 5.
Germany had for years maintained deep economic ties with Moscow, particularly in the energy sector where it is dependent on Russian gas.
Relations however soured since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military operation in Ukraine, and as Berlin increased its financial and military support to Kyiv.
Germany had been criticized for dragging its feet over delivering weapons to Kyiv and its reluctance to allow the dispatch of German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine.
In January it finally agreed to allow the armaments to be sent and pledged to deliver some of the most modern ones from its stocks. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
