Moscow 6 August : Moscow has ordered 14 Bulgarian diplomats to quit Russia in the wake of Sofia’s removal of 70 Russian diplomats less than one month ago the Foreign Ministry here has announced. The Bulgarian ambassador was summoned in, “when a ministerial note was handed to him in which 14 employees of the Bulgarian consular and diplomatic service in Russia were declared non-gratae persons” DPA news agency reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying on the 5th of June.
Moscow has made it clear it was in response to Bulgaria’s removal at the beginning of July of 70 Russian diplomats and the closure of the Russian consulate in Ruse close to the northern border of Bulgaria with Romania.
Sofia was at the time defending the removals by accusing diplomats of spying.
Moscow is threatening to cut out diplomatic relations with Bulgaria.
There are significantly more Russian diplomats based in Bulgaria than Bulgarian diplomats in Russia.
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