Russia to close Romanian consulate in St. Petersburg

Russia has decided to close Romania’s consulate in St. Petersburg and expel the Romanian consul in a retaliatory move, the Russian Foreign Ministry has stated following the summoning of Romanian Ambassador Cristian Istrate.

It said on June 25, the ambassador was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry and handed a note declaring the Consul General of Romania in St. Petersburg persona non grata and informing him of the forthcoming closure of that country’s consular office there, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

The ministry noted that the measures were taken in response to what it described as Bucharest’s “unjustified withdrawal of consent” for the operation of Russia’s Consulate General in Constanța and its decision to declare the head of the mission persona non grata.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov