Estonia expelling Russian embassy employee
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday summoned the Chargé d'Affaires at the Russian Embassy in Tallinn, to deliver a diplomatic note informing them that an embassy staff member with diplomatic status has been declared persona non grata.
This is the precursor act to requiring a member of the diplomatic corps to leave the country.
In delivering the official note on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Russian embassy representative that Estonia will not tolerate actions which run counter to its independence and sovereignty, and finds it necessary to express this stance very clearly, the ministry announced.
The ministry said: "Coordinated hybrid operations by the Russian special services against the security of the Republic of Estonia must end."
"Estonia will discuss the matter with its partners and allies, and is prepared to implement additional measures where necessary, in order to defend our society and our values."
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said: "With its actions, the Russian embassy has interfered in the internal matters of Estonia in an unacceptable way, more specifically in the judicial process, acquiring documents from a criminal case and contributing to their publication on Russian social media.
"I would also like to emphasize that the coordinated actions of Russia's special services against the Republic of Estonia, including hybrid operations targeting our security, are unacceptable and must end.
"We will not tolerate nor accept any interference in Estonia's internal matters and will respond to these kinds of situations in a quick and concrete manner. By expelling the diplomat, we are demonstrating that Estonia will not allow any actions orchestrated by a foreign state on its territory."
Today #Estonia declared a member of the Russian embassy's staff with diplomatic status .
— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) March 19, 2024
We will not tolerate nor accept any interference by Russia in #Estonia's internal matters & we´ll respond in a quick & concrete manner. https://t.co/aCCk34cdxU
This article was updated to add a comment from Margus Tsahkna.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Helen Wright