Tallinn should expect mirrored response to Russian embassy's military attache's expulsion - Russian ambassador
TALLINN. March 26 (Interfax) - Estonia should expect a tit-for-tat response to the Russian diplomat's expulsion, Russian Ambassador to Estonia Alexander Petrov said.
"You know universally recognized practice. Retaliatory measures are usually mirrored. Our response of this sort should also be naturally expected in this case," he said at a press conference in Tallinn on Monday.
The ambassador said that he had reported to Moscow about his talks at the Estonian Foreign Ministry, where he had been notified of the expulsion of the Russian military attache from the country.
"A mirrored, well-balanced decision needs some time, any emotions are only detrimental to the matter here. Although, the same military attache, as in our embassy, is actually working in Moscow," the ambassador said.
"There are more important things than peace," he quoted the former United States Secretary of State Alexander Haig as saying.
"There is an impression now that those who also believe that there are more important things than peace are appearing, staging such grandiose provocations, which threaten to eliminate any rudiments of trust, which are vital in the modern world. No evidence of Russia's meddling in the Skripals poisoning was presented. This is a provocation against Russia," Petrov said.
He was speaking at a press conference after he had been notified at the Estonian Foreign Ministry of the Russian military attache's expulsion from that country "for the activity inconsistent with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."
Col. Oleg Afanasyev serves as military attache in the Russian embassy. He has been given seven days to leave the country. Col. Toomas Reda works as military attache in the Estonian Embassy to Russia.