Russia on Wednesday expelled two Canadian diplomats working as envoys for the Nato alliance, the two countries said, in a further deterioration of ties between the alliance and Moscow. Canada's ambassador was summoned to Russia's foreign ministry and handed a note informing him of the expulsion of the head and deputy head of the Nato representative office in Moscow "in response to an unfriendly act by Nato against Russian envoys to Nato," the Russian foreign ministry said.
The explanation was a reference to Nato's earlier decision to expel two Russian envoys accredited at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels for involvement in a spy scandal. A spokesman for Canada's embassy, Nicholas Brousseau, told AFP. "Canada strongly regrets the decision" by Russia to expel Canadian diplomats. "Canada and Nato allies have been seeking ways to re-engage Russia. The decision to terminate the accreditation of Nato officials is counter-productive to this effort," said Brousseau.
Tensions between Russia and the alliance have risen over Nato military exercises in Georgia starting this week, despite efforts to improve ties that deteriorated in the wake of a war in Georgia last summer. Nato expelled two Russian envoys including the son of Russia's ambassador to the European Union in connection with an Estonian spy scandal that unearthed serious leaks of sensitive defence-related information.
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