Russia declares 10 Norwegian diplomats persona non grata

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it has decided to declare 10 diplomats working at the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow “persona non grata”. In the statement issued by the ministry, it was recalled that Norway decided to declare 15 Russian diplomats “persona non grata”.

Emphasizing that such a move was a “hostile” step and complicating bilateral relations, the statement said that Norway’s ambassador to Moscow, Robert Kvile, was summoned to the ministry. The statement noted:

“In response, Kvile received a note that 10 representatives of the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow and the Defense Attaché were declared persona non grata. The Ambassador was informed that other measures would also be taken in connection with Oslo’s hostile actions, including restrictions on the employment of Russian citizens in Norwegian diplomatic missions. (AA)