MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. Moscow has declared a North Macedonian embassy official persona non grata as a measure of retaliation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"On June 10, the Russian Foreign Ministry invited North Macedonia’s Charge d'Affaires in Russia Olivera Chaushevska-Dimovska to hand her a note declaring a North Macedonian embassy official persona non grata," the statement reads.

"The move comes in response to the baseless decision to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata that North Macedonia made in May," the Russian Foreign Ministry added.

The North Macedonian Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. The ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Sergei Bazdnikin to hand him a note saying that the diplomat was to leave the country within seven days. The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the move as unfriendly, adding that Moscow would take retaliatory measures.