As the fall-out from the spy poisoning affair continues, Albania, Croatia and Romania have joined other EU countries in expelling some Russian diplomats.
Albania expelled two Russian diplomats on Monday, as the EU aspirant country joined the UK, the EU, the US and Canada in a coordinated response to the nerve agent poisoning of Sergei Skripal, a former Russian intelligence official, and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury England.
Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati communicated the order to the Russian ambassador, Alexander Karpushin, announcing that two diplomats were now personae non grata.
Russia had a diplomatic staff of 28 in Tirana in 2017, compared to 24 in 2014.
The embassy had been publicly active lately, criticizing often what it calls “disinformation and lies” against Russia. Last week, it mocked a statement from Albania supporting Britain’s allegations about the spy poisoning.
Economic relations between Russia and Albania are modest. During 2017, Albania imported goods worth 91 million euros, about 1.9 per cent of total imports. Albania’s exports to Russia were worth just 0.7 million euros.
Elsewhere in the region, two other countries looked set to show solidarity with the action against Russia.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Monday said Zagreb had decided to show “solidarity with the UK” and declare one Russian diplomat unwelcome. He did not disclose the name of the diplomat.
“Since this event occurred, we have often been in contact with the UK,” Plenkovic told a press conference.
Romania also announced on Monday that it had would declare one Russian diplomat perona non grata following a discussion held in the European Council last week over the Skripal case.
Romania’s diplomatic relations with Russia have been tense in recent years, especially since Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Former double agent Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by the nerve agent novichok, a chemical developed during the Soviet era.
British Prime Minister Theresa May on 12 March said that it was “highly likely” that the Russian state orchestrated the attack.
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