Three diplomats of the Russian Federation accredited in North Macedonia have been declared undesirables and are likely to be expelled from the country for activities outside diplomatic competences, the Almakos portal reported today, TheGeopost.com reports.
Citing confirmed sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia, it says that these are political advisers I. Hropyakhkov, A. Rozhdevsdvenski and military attaché S. Popov. The latter is alleged to have committed “inappropriate diplomatic acts.”
Referring to information from the relevant agencies, the portal writes that the three Russian diplomats had carried out activities contrary to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and that they would have to leave the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia in the next five days.
It is also reported that other specialized security agencies have also expelled V. Zmej, a priest of the Russian Church working in North Macedonia.
The diplomatic war that Russia is trying to extend to North Macedonia has intensified, especially after North Macedonia’s NATO membership.
Meanwhile, North Macedonia is careful to preserve its sovereignty from Russian behavior and aggression in the country.
Since North Macedonia signed the Prespa Agreement with Greece in 2018, which paved the way for NATO integration, a total of 17 Russian Federation diplomats have been expelled from Skopje.
On April 15, six employees of the Russian Embassy in Skopje were declared persona non grata. These six Russian diplomats had also engaged in activities that violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The Foreign Ministry also expelled five Russian diplomats on March 28 of that year, a month after the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. Already in 2021 and 2018, one Russian diplomat was expelled, which Russia retaliated by expelling Macedonian diplomats from the embassy in Moscow.
On March 7 of this year, Russia added Macedonia to the list of countries taking hostile measures against Russia, its businesses, and citizens.
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