The Latvian charge d’affaires in Moscow, Dacija Rutka, was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Friday, where she was served with a “strong protest” and informed of the decision, Russia Today reported.
Riga said on Monday it was downgrading the level of diplomatic ties, citing Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and “solidarity” with neighboring Estonia. Moscow and Tallinn are also mutually expelling ambassadors.
“We have stressed that the justification of this move by some kind of ‘solidarity’ with other Baltic countries is unacceptable,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“They have ‘solidarity’ only in one thing: total Russophobia and the willingness to initiate hostile steps towards Russia that are being encouraged by the US and other unfriendly countries.”
The ministry added that the relations between Moscow and Riga have already been “largely destroyed” by Latvia’s crackdown on Russian-language media and “criminal prosecution of our compatriots.”
MNA