The 40 members of the Russian representations in Germany whom we expelled three weeks ago did not work a single day in the service of diplomacy during their stay in Germany
denounces in a press release Annalena Baerbock.
Russia announced on Monday the expulsion of 40 German diplomats, in retaliation for a similar measure taken in early April by Germany following the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
It’s about a symmetrical response
to a similar decision openly unfriendly
of the German government, taken on April 4, according to a press release from Russian diplomacy.
We expected today’s measure, it is in no way justified
reacted the head of German diplomacy.
According to her, the expelled Russian diplomats acted for years and systematically against our freedom and against the cohesion of our society
.
Their work also threatened those who sought protection with us, we could not tolerate it any longer and we will not tolerate it in the future either.
warns Ms. Baerbock.
On the other hand, our collaborators, my colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who are today expelled by Russia, have absolutely nothing to reproach themselves for
assures the minister.
Despite the increasingly unfavorable circumstances, they had visited Russia with openness, interest and great commitment, in order to serve our bilateral relations
continues Ms. Baerbock.
With the expulsions transmitted today, Russia therefore continues to harm itself
she regrets.
In recent weeks, many European countries, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain have expelled dozens of Russian diplomats.
In some cases, these expulsions were officially supposed to respond to the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine by the Russian army and the abuses attributed to it by the West.
They have also sometimes been accompanied by accusations of espionage, as in Belgium or France.
Moscow has promised to respond to each of these measures and dozens of Western diplomats have already been expelled from Russia.