According to Alexander Schallenberg, Austria will start expelling Russian diplomats only if there is evidence of their non-compliance with the Vienna Convention
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg
(Photo: WAEL HAMZEH / EPA / TASS)
Austria will start expelling Russian diplomats if the secret services of the republic have evidence of non-compliance of their activities with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. This was announced by the head of the Austrian Foreign Ministry Alexander Schallenberg, transmits Vienna.at.
“I definitely reserve the right to take this step. I became the first Austrian Foreign Minister to declare a Russian diplomat persona non grata two years ago. I will do it again if necessary. We are working closely with the Austrian services,” he said.
According to the minister, there are many international organizations in Vienna that have Russian missions, and he does not want to interfere with the work of such organizations by unjustified expulsions of diplomats. “But if it is necessary, it becomes proven or there is concrete evidence that an employee of some Russian diplomatic mission does not comply with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, then I will take concrete steps,” Shallenberg added.
The Foreign Minister also noted that today each European country acts independently in the matter of expelling Russian diplomats, but it is necessary, according to him, to act unitedly within the framework of the European Union.
