The Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs made earlier today a demarche to the Russian Ambassador in Athens over the expulsion of eight Greek diplomats from the diplomatic and consular authorities in Russia.
He underscored that the Russian reaction was disproportionate compared to the measures announced by our country against certain Russian diplomats who had been declared as personae non gratae for demonstrably engaging in actions inconsistent with their diplomatic status, in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 and the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.
On the contrary, the expulsions of Greek diplomats have no justification whatsoever, other than being disproportionate reprisals. It was also underlined that the above-mentioned Greek diplomats had in no way violated the Vienna Conventions.
Lastly, the Greek side protested against the content of recent statements by Russian officials and emphasized the importance of avoiding generalizations and accusations against our country that cannot be verified.