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Moscow expects one of NATO ambassadors will be appointed as alliance representative

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko recalled that Russian envoy to Brussels Alexander Tokovinin would be authorized to carry out emergency communication with NATO

MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Moscow expects that one of the NATO member countries will appoint their ambassador in Moscow as the alliance representative, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko in an interview with Russian TV channel Rossiya-24 on Friday.

He recalled that Russian envoy to Brussels Alexander Tokovinin will be authorized to carry out emergency communication with NATO.

"We believe that NATO countries will appoint one of their ambassadors to fulfill similar functions," Grushko said.

NATO announced on October 6 that it had cut the staff of the Russian mission at the alliance in half from 20 to 10 members, revoking the accreditation of eight diplomats and abolishing two vacant positions. The alliance said the Russian diplomats must leave Brussels before the end of this month. In response, on October 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would suspend the work of its permanent mission to NATO starting in early November following NATO’s move to withdraw the accreditation of the Russian envoys. Furthermore, the operations of the NATO Military Liaison Mission Moscow and the NATO Information Office in Moscow will be frozen.