Estonia urges reduction in Russian diplomatic staff number in Tallin

The Estonian Foreign Ministry summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev and handed him a note stating that Russia should reduce the number of employees at the embassy in Tallinn.

Currently, the Russian embassy employs 21 diplomats and 23 seconded employees. Their number should be reduced to 8 and 15, respectively, said Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu, Kommersant reports.

He stated that the decision was made "in order to achieve parity or equivalence in the number of posts in the embassy."

“Estonia considers the principle of equivalence very important in relations with Russia. Given that the staff of the Russian embassy is not engaged in promoting relations between Estonia and Russia in the context of an aggressive war, we see that the current size of the Russian representation is not justified,” the minister said at a press conference.

As Reinsalu clarified, since the beginning of the “military operation” in Ukraine, Estonia has reduced bilateral relations with Russia to a minimum. He recalled that in the spring, Estonia closed the Russian consular offices in Narva and Tartu, and also expelled three employees of the Russian embassy.

“Today's step correlates with a common low point in our bilateral relations,” said Reinsalu.