ZAGREB, January 22. /TASS/. The Albanian government has officially expelled a Russian diplomat from the country for violating epidemiological measures imposed to counter the coronavirus pandemic, Albania’s Top Channel TV reported Thursday.

"The Albanian government has declared Russian diplomat Alexei Krivosheyev, who was not following the anti-coronavirus measures, persona non grata, mandating that he leave the country within 72 hours from the official announcement," the channel quoted the statement by the Albanian Foreign Ministry.

At the same time, it is noted that the diplomat has been reported to breach the guidelines since April 2020. "Unfortunately, <…> the diplomat continued to violate the measures despite expressions of good will from both sides to stop these violations," the Albanian ministry underlined.

Moreover, the ministry underlined that the country seeks to improve friendly relations with Russia, voicing hope that Moscow will be understanding of "this decision made in the difficult period for the whole world."

According to Johns Hopkins University, Albania has recorded more than 69,000 cases of COVID-19 and more than 1,200 deaths.