Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, and the Czech Republic are sending out Russian diplomats
The Netherlands sends out 17 Russian diplomats, Belgium sends out 21 Russian diplomats; 4 more diplomats are sent out by Ireland and one is sent out from the Czech Republic.
This was reported by NOS, RTBF, and The Irish Times.
Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday to inform him of the decision.
Diplomats suspected of espionage must leave the country within two weeks.
"These people have a diplomat written on their business card when they are actually doing something completely different. We made this decision for the security of the Netherlands," said Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, without elaborating.
The expulsion was also coordinated with other countries that had previously expelled Russian diplomats, such as the United States, Poland, and Bulgaria. Hoekstra noted that Russia was also likely to send Dutch diplomats in response.
The decision applies to Russian diplomats accredited at the Russian Embassy in Brussels or the Consulate General in Antwerp. It was approved due to "the involvement of diplomats in espionage and influential operations that threaten the security of the country," Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès said on Tuesday. Russian diplomats will have to leave Belgium within 15 days.
Four high-ranking Russian embassy officials in Ireland have been asked to leave the country because "their activities do not meet international standards of diplomatic conduct." This was stated by Prime Minister Michael Martin.
Martin told parliament on Tuesday after Labor leader Ivana Bachyk had earlier called for the expulsion of the Russian ambassador from Ireland and asked to be briefed.
The head of government said that when the question came from Ms. Bachyk, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador, and "I did not want to cancel normal diplomatic protocols."
"Under the 1961 Vienna Convention, four high-ranking Russian embassy officials were asked to leave the country because their activities didn't meet international standards of diplomatic conduct," he said.
Today, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs also declared one of the diplomatic staff members of the Russian Embassy in Prague a persona non grata.
"The officer must leave the Czech Republic within 72 hours. Together with our allies, we limit the presence of Russian special services in the EU," the statement said on Twitter.
