BERLIN. Feb 8 (Interfax) - The Federal Foreign Office of Germany has declared an employee of the Russian embassy persona non grata as a response to the expulsion of a German diplomat, an agency spokesperson told journalists in Berlin on Monday.
"Today, the Federal Foreign Office has declared a staff member of the Russian Embassy in Berlin persona non grata in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 18 April 1961. With this step, the Federal Government is responding to a decision by the Russian Federation of Friday, 5 February 2021," the spokesperson said.
Moscow's decision to expel the diplomats of the European Union countries was in no way justified; the German diplomat had merely executed his function pursuant to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the German Federal Foreign Office said.