Russian Foreign Ministry: 18 employees of EU delegation to Russia declared persona non grata

MOSCOW. April 15 (Interfax) - Russia has ordered 18 employees of the Delegation of the European Union to Russia to leave the country as a retaliatory measure, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

"In response to the unfriendly actions of the European Union, 18 employees of the Delegation of the European Union to Russia have been declared persona non grata and must leave the territory of the Russian Federation shortly. A relevant note was given to Markus Ederer," the ministry said on its website.

Ederer was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, and a "resolute protest against the unfounded designation of 19 employees of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community as persona non grata on April 5 was expressed" to him.

"The Russian side pointed out the responsibility of the European Union for the gradual destruction of the architecture of bilateral dialogue and cooperation which took decades to create. The need for unwavering compliance by the European Union with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 was emphasized," the ministry said.