No comments on expulsion of Slovak diplomat from Russia

It came as no surprise that a Slovak diplomat in Russia was declared a persona non grata, stated Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini on Thursday. Russia told the Slovak diplomat to leave the country in response to the recent expulsion of a Russian diplomat in Slovakia on suspicion of espionage. "It's a reciprocal measure that is common around the world and I think we also expected it," said the prime minister, refusing to comment on the matter any further. Similarly, the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry will not comment on the fact that a Slovak diplomat in Russia has been told to leave the country. According to Russian news agency TASS, Director of the Information and Press Department of Russia's Foreign Affairs Ministry Maria Zakharova said that the Slovak diplomat must leave Russian territory within 48 hours. The respective note was delivered to the Slovak ambassador in Moscow on December 11. The Russian diplomat was told to leave Slovakia within 48 hours on November 22. According to Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini (Smer-SD), the Russian diplomat was engaged in activities that were no longer in line with how a diplomat should behave in EU and NATO countries.