The person must leave the country by April 18, it said in a statement. The move is an expected response to the Vienna Foreign Office’s decision in March to expel two Russian diplomats from the country in connection with espionage allegations.
Austria’s ambassador in Moscow, Werner Almhofer, sent a “decisive protest” to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday for an “unfounded declaration” by Austria by two employees of the Russian embassy about personae non gratae (undesirable persons), the ministry in Moscow informed. “This unfriendly gesture further complicates the bilateral relations that are in crisis at the initiative of the Austrian side and damages the authority of Austria, which has positioned itself as a neutral state and a place for international diplomacy,” it said.
Harassment possible
The ministry also announced that its countermeasures to the recent case would not be limited to the expulsion of the diplomat. What this could mean is unclear. Administrative harassment against the embassy would be possible.
