MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. Norway, by announcing the expulsion of 15 Russian diplomats, has confirmed its status as a country hostile to Russia and this decision will be followed by a tough response, a commentary by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova published on Friday said.
"A serious blow was dealt to Russian-Norwegian relations. Again and again, Norway confirms its status as a country hostile to Russia. These actions won’t be left without a reaction on our part, we will provide a tough response," the diplomat noted.
Zakharova stressed that Moscow views this decision by Oslo as a "deliberate escalation of animosity toward Russia." "No specific grievances are made against Russian diplomats, instead, during recent months, Norwegian news outlets have unleashed yet another fake news campaign about the alleged exposure of Russian ‘spying activity,’" the commentary notes.
"There is no doubt that disinformation by the media at the behest of central authorities and intelligence and under external influence was planned in advance in order to justify the additional exacerbation of relations with Russia which are already at their lowest point," the spokeswoman added.
On Thursday, Norway’s authorities declared 15 employees of the Russian Embassy personae non gratae. According to Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, they were "engaged in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status." That said, she noted that the country "always welcomes Russian diplomats" and that "Norway would like to preserve normal diplomatic relations with Russia."