The Russian government on Monday announced the expulsion of the Estonian ambassador and downgraded diplomatic relations with Tallinn to the level of chargé d’affaires because of the «hostile actions» of the Estonian authorities.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Estonian ambassador in Moscow has been summoned to convey a «strong protest» over the decision to «radically reduce the size of the Russian Embassy in Tallinn» and added that the ambassador «must leave Russia by February 7.»
«The Estonian leadership has purposefully destroyed over the past few years the entire range of relations with Russia. Russophobia and cultivation of hostility towards our country have been elevated to the rank of state policy by Tallinn,» he denounced.
Therefore, he has emphasized that «the entire responsibility for the development of the situation in the relations between Russia and Estonia rests entirely on the Estonian side.» «We will continue to react to hostile steps on the part of the Estonian leadership,» he reiterated.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
