MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. Iceland’s flag has been removed from the country’s embassy building in downtown Moscow, a TASS correspondent reported.

All plaques have also been removed from the building. There is no one in sight on the embassy’s territory and no cars are parked near the building.

Iceland’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on June 9 that the country’s top diplomat "has decided to suspend operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow from August 1." According to the ministry, "maintaining operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow is no longer justifiable".

Iceland also requested that Russia "limit the operations of its Embassy in Reykjavik <...> and that the level of diplomatic representation be lowered." However, Iceland’s Foreign Ministry pointed out that "a decision to suspend the operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow does not constitute a severance of diplomatic relations." "As soon as conditions permit, Iceland will prioritize the resumption of operations of the Embassy of Iceland in Moscow," the statement added.