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Russia: NATO's expulsion of Russian diplomats provocative

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-04-30 22:42

MOSCOW -- The Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the expulsion of two of its diplomats to the NATO headquarters in Brussels is "provocation," the Interfax news agency reported.

Russian Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin addresses a news conference at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, April 30, 2009. [Agencies]

Moscow will make proper conclusions from the provocative expulsion, said the ministry.

"We have learned about a provocative act against two staff members of the Russian mission at NATO, whom the alliance security service would like to expel from Brussels under a far-fetched pretext and without any clear explanations," the ministry's information and press department said.

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"We urge all NATO members to think about the consequences of what happened. We will certainly make our own conclusions from this provocation," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier news reports said two diplomats in the Russian mission to the NATO headquarters have been expulsed apparently because of a spy scandal, in which a former Estonian official allegedly gave alliance secrets to Moscow.

NATO headquarters in Brussels refused to comment on the expulsion, Interfax reported, citing an anonymous source of the alliance.