Greece Expels 12 Russian Diplomats Over Ukraine Atrocity
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Loading... - Gloria Vega
- 06 Apr 2022
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Greece will ask 12 Russian diplomats to leave the country in reaction to the war in Ukraine, declaring them “personae non-gratae”, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
In a statement the Greek foreign ministry said:
“The Greek authorities have declared 12 members of the Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Russian Federation, accredited in Greece, as personae non-gratae.
“The above were declared undesirable in accordance with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Affairs and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Affairs.
“The Acting Secretary-General informed the Russian Ambassador earlier today about this decision.”
Russia’s embassy in Athens warns of “consequences”
“We have strongly protested against this unjustified and hostile step which aims to further destroy our bilateral relations,” the Russian embassy said in a statement.
“We made clear that this action will not remain without consequences,” it said.
Hundreds of Russian diplomats were expelled from Greece and Europe
Greece is following the lead of other European nations that have been expelling Russian diplomats following the invasion of Ukraine.
Almost two hundred Russian diplomatic staff have been expelled from European countries this week in a direct expression of governments’ outrage at the killings of Ukrainian civilians.
Joe Biden called for Vladimir Putin to be tried for war crimes on Monday following the killings of civilians in the city of Bucha.
Biden said the images coming from Bucha warranted calling Putin a “war criminal,” adding, “but we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight and we have to get all the details so this can be an actual…war-crime trial.”
As the Guardian reports, 206 Russian diplomats and embassy staff have been told since Monday they are no longer welcome to stay by governments in Italy, France, Germany and elsewhere, in addition to more than 100 reported to have already been thrown out since the beginning of Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine on 24 February. Read More...
