MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has expelled two Swedish diplomats from Moscow as a part of a reciprocal movement in opposition t Stockholm, Sweden stated on Wednesday.
FILE image: Russia's international Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual information convention of the Russia's overseas Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January sixteen, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File photo
family members between both countries were strained in the closing few years over Russia's moves in Ukraine and sabre-rattling within the Baltic.
"Sweden has up to now made the decision that one Russian diplomat should not have his visa renewed and following that, we've declined Russian purposes for diplomatic visas," a Swedish overseas ministry spokeswoman observed.
"Russia has answered through asking two Swedish diplomats to go away Russia."
The spokeswoman declined to give extra details.
The ministry observed in December that Moscow had asked certainly one of its diplomats to depart Russia after Stockholm rejected two Russian purposes for diplomatic visas.
asked in Moscow even if the Kremlin had expelled two Swedish diplomats in response to Stockholm's visa rejection, Russian foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova observed the question did "now not require us to comment".
"without entering into particulars, i will be able to say that the reply is contained within the question," TASS information agency quoted her as announcing. "i am talking about the phrase 'in response'," she referred to, declining to supply additional details.
In February, Sweden arrested a person on suspicion of spying and of getting been recruited as an agent through a Russian intelligence officer working under diplomatic cowl in Sweden.
The diplomat become nevertheless in the nation in March and the Swedish overseas Ministry called in the Russian ambassador to ask that he leave. The international Ministry spokeswoman could not verify whether the diplomat has due to the fact left.
Sweden became one the countries which expelled a Russian diplomat following the poisoning assault in Salisbury, England in March remaining year, which the ecu Union blamed on Moscow. Russia denies the cost.
Reporting with the aid of Christian Lowe in Moscow and by way of Simon Johnson in Stockholm; Writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by way of Angus MacSwan
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