Russia to Retaliate Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia’s Actions Against Russian Embassies — MFA

Russian Foreign Ministry, where they were presented with a strong protest

© Sergey Savostyanov/TASS

MOSCOW, December 30. /TASS/. The Russian Foreign Ministry lodged a strong protest with the summoned charges d'affaires of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia over their respective countries’ illegal actions against the economic activities of Russian embassies, the statement said.

"On December 30, the charges d'affaires of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia were summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where they were presented with a strong protest in connection with the introduction the introduction of regulations on the administrative and economic activities of the Russian embassies in Riga, Vilnius, and Tallinn by the unfriendly authorities of these countries," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The heads of the diplomatic missions were informed that "the Russian side reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures."

According to the ministry, "Baltic diplomats have been informed that the unlawful requirements being introduced will significantly impede the work of Russian foreign missions and grossly violate Article 25 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. According to this article, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, as host countries, are obliged to provide 'all facilities' for the performance of representative functions." "The discriminatory nature of these measures also contradicts paragraph 1 of Article 47 of the Vienna Convention, according to which, in applying the provisions of the Convention, which states that in applying the provisions of the Convention, the host country shall not discriminate between states," the statement noted.