Latvia expels Russian diplomat

RIGA -- Latvia has decided to expel an employee of the Russian embassy in Riga for activities incompatible with the status of diplomat, the Latvian Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 21.

The Foreign Ministry said it received information from security services suggesting that the diplomat poses a threat to Latvia's security.

On Monday, Russian ambassador to Latvia Viktor Kalyuzny was invited to the desk of Latvian Foreign Ministry state secretary Edgars Skuja who handed him a note citing information from Latvian security services, that one of Russian diplomats working in Latvia poses a threat to national security 's diplomatic-speak for an accusation of spying.

If espionage is indeed the reason for the expulsion, it would be somewhat ironic given recent Russian complaints  that the Baltic states are actively engaged in spying on Russia.

Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, this diplomat has been declared "persona non grata", the ministry said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivars Lasis noted that although in line with diplomatic practice a return measure could be expected from the state whose diplomat has been asked to leave the host country, the Latvian Foreign Ministry believes that "employees of our embassy do not violate the Vienna Convention". If Russia, nevertheless, decides to expel a Latvian diplomat, the ministry will assess the decision, he added.

The Russian diplomat has been asked to leave Latvia "in the nearest future".

Iveta Maura, a representative of the Latvian Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB), confirmed the Foreign Ministry's information that a Russian diplomat has been declared "persona non grata" and that the Russian embassy has been requested to ensure that this person leaves Latvia within 48 hours.

Performing its counter-intelligence work SAB has obtained what it believes to be strong evidence of the diplomat's illicit activities in violation of the Vienna Convention.

Maura confirmed that the expelled diplomat was not Anatoly Kogalov, first secretary of the Russian embassy in Riga, who has been put on the blacklist of the Schengen member states. She declined though to reveal how long the diplomat had been working in Latvia and in what kind of activities he had been involved.

Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis told the press that he has been informed about the expulsion and was aware of the diplomat's identity, but declined to give any further comments.

A Russian diplomat was last expelled from Latvia in 2004 for attempts to spy on NATO military infrastructure. This was the first expulsion of a foreign diplomat in Latvia's history.

Responding to the news, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed incomprehension and promised a reaction.

"The decision of Latvian authorities to announce one of the diplomats of Russian embassy to Latvia to be a persona non grata causes a lack of understanding. We are currently analyzing the circumstances of this hostile move and reserve the right to perform an adequate response," said a statement from Mihail Kaminin, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.