Russia Expels Two Swedish Diplomats

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, December 02, 2002

Russia Expels Two Swedish Diplomats

Russia on Monday declared two staff members of Swedish embassy persona non grata, the Interfax reported, citing Russian Foreign Ministry. The decision appeared to be retaliation for Sweden's expulsion of two Russian diplomats last month.

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The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday declared two staff members of Swedish embassy persona non grata.

The two diplomats are being expelled for "activities damaging the security interests of the Russian state," a ministry statement said, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

The Swedish ambassador, Sven Hirdman, was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday to inform him of the expulsions,the statement said.

The decision appeared to be a tit-for-tat response to Sweden's expulsion of two Russian diplomats last month.

At the beginning of November, the Swedish government decided toexpel two Russian diplomats from Stockholm, declaring them persona non grata for activities contradicting their diplomatic status.

According to Swedish press reports, the Russian diplomats were accused of trying to obtain classified information from the Ericsson telecommunications corporation.

On November 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that the decision of the Swedish authorities had aroused bewilderment and regret in Moscow. "The Russian side reserves the right to adequately respond to the move," it noted.

So far, the Swedish embassy has refused to comment on Moscow's decision to expel two of its staff members.

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