In response to NATO’s expulsion of 8 Russian mission members
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that his country is suspending its mission to NATO.
He said the move was a response to the expulsion of eight Russian staff at the military alliance’s mission in the Russian capital.
Lavrov said staff at the mission would be stripped of their accreditation from November 1. If needed, NATO could interact with Russia via its embassy in Brussels, Russian news agencies reported.
“In response to NATO’s actions, we are suspending the work of our permanent mission in the alliance, including the work of the chief military representative. [It will] probably [be suspended] as of 1 November, or it will take a few more days”, Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow.He added that “secondly, we [Russia] are suspending the activities of the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow, with the accreditation of its employees due to be revoked from 1 November 2021”.
“And thirdly, the activities of the NATO information office in Moscow, which was established at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium, are being terminated”, Lavrov noted.