Estonian Foreign Ministry: Russian ambassador to leave Tallinn by February 7
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Russian Ambassador to Estonia Vladimir Lipaev must leave Tallinn by February 7, at the same time that Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre leaves Moscow. About it informed Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, the state broadcasting portal ERR reports.
“Estonia takes note of Russia’s decision today to downgrade its diplomatic representation to the level of a temporary official. Estonia’s relations with Russia are built on the principle of parity, from which we will not retreat. This means that the Russian ambassador in Tallinn will leave at the same time as the Estonian ambassador on February 7,” he said (cit. according to RIA Novosti).
Reinsalu said that the decision on who exactly will take the position of charge d’affaires has not yet been made. The Estonian Foreign Minister also said that he would urge other countries to “adhere to the established principle of parity.”
Earlier today, the Russian Foreign Ministry accepted the decision to downgrade the diplomatic representative in Estonia to charge d’affaires ad interim. Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre needs to leave Russia by 7 February. The Foreign Ministry explained that this decision was due to the deliberate destruction of Tallinn’s relations with Moscow, total Russophobia and the cultivation of hostility towards Russia, which the Estonian authorities elevated “to the rank of state policy.” In January, Tallinn radically reduced the composition of the Russian embassy, thereby confirming the “line towards the collapse of relations,” they added.
11 January Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded reduce the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission in Tallinn from 21 diplomats and 23 other employees to 8 diplomats and 15 service personnel. Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu then called the size of the Russian representation “unjustified” and stated the need to equalize the number of diplomatic missions of both countries. Against this background, the embassy suspended Until February, accepting applications from Russians on citizenship issues.
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