“This morning, the Portuguese Ambassador in Moscow was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, who was informed of the expulsion of five embassy employees who will have to leave Russia within 14 days,” the Portuguese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the report said.
“The Portuguese government rejects the decision of the Russian authorities, which has no justification other than simple retribution. Unlike Russian officials expelled from Portugal“These national officials conducted exclusively diplomatic activities in full compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” he adds.
This is exile already expected Portugal. On Wednesday, Russia announced the expulsion of 27 Spanish and 24 Italian diplomats in response to similar measures taken by those countries after invading Ukraine. The information was published by the Russian Foreign Ministry shortly after the expulsion of 34 French diplomats was announced, and a day later a decision was made to expel two Finnish diplomats. The number of Spanish and Italian diplomats now considered persona non grata it is identical to the Russian diplomacy that the governments of two European countries expelled from their countries in April.
As PÚBLICO progressed yesterday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expected the same reaction from Russia at any moment. “Must be inevitable”said high painting of Necessidades palaceand this would not come as a surprise, given the expulsion in April of ten employees of the Russian embassy in Lisbon.
Thursday’s announcement was worse than expected, as Russia was expected to send Portuguese diplomats of the same skill level as the expelled Russians, i.e. below the category of ambassador or head of mission.
António Costa is visiting Romania and Poland, and the President of the Republic added on Wednesday that after the visit, the Prime Minister will also visit Ukraine (the date of this trip is not known for security reasons). The fact that the head of state revealed the date of Costa’s visit to Ukraine kriu mbe in PS because Costa’s office demanded complete secrecy of the trip. But Rebelo de Souza told the secretas PÚBLICO shows today in the title.
