North Macedonia expels another Russian diplomat

BELGRADE, Serbia

North Macedonia on Tuesday declared a diplomat from the Russian embassy in Skopje persona non grata, Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani confirmed at a press conference.

"The Foreign Affairs Ministry, within its competencies, is taking all appropriate measures and activities per the Vienna Convention for diplomatic relations to protect the national security of the Republic of North Macedonia, as well as to protect the role and responsibility of the country as a member of the NATO alliance," said Osmani.

According to North Macedonian media that the diplomat was a Russian deputy military attache who was expelled after allegedly "inappropriate" diplomatic activities.

The decision came in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reportedly said that Moscow would soon respond to the decision.

N. Macedonia, earlier this year, deported another Russian diplomat over the poisoning of Sergei Skrıpal and his daughter Yulia Skripal in the United Kingdom in 2018.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also reported on June 10 that a diplomat working at the North Macedonian Embassy in Moscow was declared "persona non grata."