Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday announced the expulsion of Latvia’s ambassador Maris Riekstins in a new episode in the spiraling deterioration of relations between Moscow and the Baltic countries over the war in Ukraine.
Latvia had already announced this week the expulsion of the Russian ambassador to the country in retaliation for Moscow’s earlier decision to order the departure of the Estonian ambassador and downgrade diplomatic relations to the level of chargé d’affaires.
This crisis continues this Friday with the expulsion of Riekstins, who has been «ordered to leave the Russian Federation within two weeks,» the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement reported by Interfax.
Russia insists that its decision was taken in response to Latvia’s initial decision, a «provocative maneuver that has its consequences», according to the Kremlin.
«It is necessary to understand that bilateral relations were already destroyed, largely because of the destructive attitude of Latvia’s ruling elite,» according to the Russian government, which has accused the Latvian authorities of «cleansing the Russian-language information space» and the «elimination of Soviet cultural and commemorative heritage.»
Russia, it should be recalled, had accused the Latvian authorities of destroying Soviet-era monuments.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
