Poland closed its consulate general in St. Petersburg on Wednesdayannounced the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Moscow ordered Warsaw to take such a step in Decemberin response to her earlier decision to close the Russian Consulate General in Poznań, writes TASR according to the PAP agency.
“The Polish Consulate General in St. Petersburg was closed after Russia withdrew its consent to its operation… It is retaliation for the decision of the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs to close the Russian Consulate General in Poznań as a result of acts of sabotage committed on Polish territory and linked to Russian authorities,” the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, AFP writes.
Russia at the same time at the beginning of December declared three Polish diplomats from the said consulate in St. Petersburg “undesirable persons” and ordered them to leave the country. PAP reminds that the Polish consulate operated in St. Petersburg for 52 years.
On October 22, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski withdrew his consent to the operation of the Russian consulate in Poznań. The Polish government justified this step sabotage activities of Russia in Poland and Europe, which she described as part of Moscow’s hybrid war against the West. Russian diplomats they had to leave Poland from this consulate by the end of November.
At the same time, Sikorski announced that if Russia will not stop the mentioned activities, Poland could also close the remaining Russian consulates on its territory. TASR reminds that Russia still has consulates in Gdansk and Krakow.
