Austria Expels Four Russian Envoys for Breaching International Agreements

Austria is expelling four Russian diplomats for behaving in a manner inconsistent with international agreements, often leading to espionage cases, Austria’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry said two of the four diplomats have been declared persona non grata and ordered to leave the country by February 8. They are posted at the Russian Embassy in Austria, while the other two work at the Russian Mission to the United Nations in Vienna. in a statement.

“Two diplomats of the Russian Embassy have acted in a manner inconsistent with their diplomatic status. They were therefore declared persona non grata (persona non grata) in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the ministry said.

The two, who worked in the Russian mission to the United Nations, acted in a manner that was inconsistent with the host country’s agreement between the United Nations and Austria.

The ministry did not say specifically what any diplomats did and a spokeswoman declined to comment.

Vienna is a major diplomatic center in Europe hosting both United Nations organizations such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Large countries such as Russia and the United States often have separate ambassadors to Austria, the OSCE and United Nations organizations, each running an embassy or permanent mission.

City, which was later divided into allied areas World War II also has a long-standing reputation as a den of spies. The large diplomatic presence gives them the opportunity to station intelligence agents there under diplomatic cover granting them diplomatic immunity.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)