MOSCOW, April 12. /TASS/. Moscow has declared a Slovenian embassy worker persona non grata as a measure of retaliation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

On April 12, the ministry summoned Slovenian Ambassador to Moscow Darja Bavdaz Kuret "to lodge a strong protest against Slovenia’s groundless decision to revoke the accreditation of a Russian embassy worker."

"Based on the principle of reciprocity, the ambassador was handed a note saying that a Slovenian embassy worker in Moscow has been declared persona non grata," the statement reads.

The Foreign Ministry emphasized that Moscow saw Slovenia’s expulsion of the Russian embassy worker as "another openly unfriendly step, which is part of Ljubljana’s overall policy aimed at destroying Slovenian-Russian ties." "All responsibility for the consequences of such a destructive policy rests with Slovenia," the ministry added.