MINSK, 5 March (BelTA) - The ambassadors of the EU countries to Moscow have completely discredited themselves, and the society raises the question as to whether their further stay in Russia is appropriate, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told TASS.
Earlier Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that he invited EU envoys for a meeting ahead of the president election but they declined the invitation two days before the meeting date.
"Upon learning this information from Sergey Lavrov, our society started asking questions. What are these people doing in our country in the first place? I think conclusions will be made. They have completely discredited themselves, both in our country and abroad," the diplomat underscored.
She noted that earlier Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev suggested expelling the diplomats who refused to meet with the foreign minister. She underscored that an envoy cannot pick and choose which event to attend. An envoy represents their country "in all its entirety”.
"When an envoy is invited to the Foreign Ministry, it is not an option, but an obligation. It is part of their job description. They must come, receive information and relay it to their home country," Maria Zakharova added. In this regard, the diplomat noted that the question arises as to the qualifications of the ambassadors of European countries and as to the expediency of their further stay in Russia.
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