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Moscow declares employee of Romanian Embassy in Russia persona non grata

In August, Romania’s authorities made a decision to expel an employee of the Russian embassy

MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. As a tit-for-tat measure, Moscow has declared an employee of the Romanian Embassy in Russia persona non grata, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.

"On September 8, Romania’s Charge d’Affaires Ad Interim in the Russian Federation Constantin Ionita was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry where he was handed a ministry’s note on declaring an employee of the Romanian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata," the statement reads.

"This measure is a response to an absolutely unmotivated decision to declare a diplomat of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest as persona non grata made by the Romanian side earlier," the ministry explained.

In August, Romania’s authorities made a decision to expel an employee of the Russian embassy.

On April 5, the Romanian authorities declared ten employees of the Russian embassy in Bucharest as personae non gratae. As Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stressed then, Moscow viewed this move as part of a campaign led by the US and its allies to discredit Russia’s special operation in Ukraine. On May 13, Moscow retaliated by declaring ten employees of the Romanian Embassy in Russia as personae non gratae.