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North Macedonian foreign minister laments expulsion of diplomat from Russia

This decision will have negative influence on the bilateral relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Russian Federation, Bujar Osmani noted

ZAGREB, June 10. /TASS/. North Macedonia’s Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani thinks that the expulsion of a North Macedonian diplomat from Russia will harm relations between both states, he said on his Twitter on Thursday.

"Regrets for the unjustified decision of @mfa_russia [the Russian Foreign Ministry], merely a retaliatory political decision; this will undoubtedly have negative influence on the bilateral relations between the Republic of North Macedonia and the Russian Federation," he wrote.

Moscow has declared a North Macedonian embassy official persona non grata as a measure of retaliation, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The Russian Foreign Ministry invited North Macedonia’s Charge d'Affaires in Russia Olivera Chaushevska-Dimovska to hand her a note declaring a North Macedonian embassy official persona non grata.

The North Macedonian Foreign Ministry earlier confirmed the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. The ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Sergey Bazdnikin to hand him a note saying that the diplomat was to leave the country within seven days. The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the move as unfriendly, adding that Moscow would take retaliatory measures.

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