The Norwegian authorities have declared Thursday ‘persona non grata’ about fifteen diplomats from the Russian Embassy in the country on the grounds that their work »is not compatible with their status».
The measure, taken in the midst of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, comes in response to »a changed security situation in Europe,» the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
This is an important step in countering and reducing the level of Russian intelligence presence in the country, which has led to an increased threat,» Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said.
Thus, the Norwegian authorities now consider that these fifteen diplomats have been using precisely this status to carry out Russian intelligence activities. The government has therefore announced that all of them will have to leave the country and has confirmed that no visas will be issued for intelligence officials.
»Russia currently poses one of the biggest threats to Norway in the field of intelligence. We take this very seriously, and we are putting measures in place to counter these activities. We will not allow them to operate in Norway under the cover of the Embassy’s protection,» the text reads.
In this regard, it has clarified that the activities of these diplomats have been monitored for a period of time. This decision follows the expulsion of three other Russian diplomats in April 2022, shortly after the start of the war.
»I would like to emphasize that Norway seeks to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia and that Russian diplomats are welcome. The actions taken today seek to curtail Intelligence activities that are undesirable,» Huitfeldt said.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
