Russian media reports say the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre on January 23 and has given him until February 7 to leave the country.
The Russian MFA said that the leaders of Estonia have purposefully destroyed relations with Russia in recent years and described as the last straw Estonia's recent decision to expel 13 Russian diplomats and eight technical workers.
As its reaction, Russia decided to downgrade the level of mutual diplomatic representation to that of charge d'affaires ad interim. Russia places all responsibility for the development squarely with Estonia.
Downgrading diplomatic ties to the level of an charge d'affaires ad interim means that Russia will be recalling its ambassador from Estonia.
Meanwhile, ERR (the English-language service of Estonian Public Broadcasting) says Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu, attending the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, urged EU Member States to observe the principle of parity in diplomatic relations with Russia to keep the number of diplomats even.
The Estonian Embassy in Moscow currently has six employees. In addition to Ambassador Margus Laidre, deputy head of the embassy Jana Vanamölder, press diplomat Kirsti Viljamaa, consular affairs director Tarmo Punnik, consul Laura Lilleväli and assistant Marina Grigorjeva.
Also on Monday, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said his country recalled its ambassador from Russia and downgraded diplomatic relations with Russia to the level of charge d'affaires as of February 24.
He demanded that Russia do the same.
Rinkevics said Latvia made such move in a show of solidarity with its neighbor Estonia.
Meanwhile, Andrey Kortunov, Director General of the Russian Council on International Affairs, commenting on the Russian diplomatic mission’s decision to downgrade diplomatic relations with Estonia in response to the unfriendly actions of the Estonian authorities and the demand that the ambassador of the country leave Russia, said in an interview with TASS on Monday that downgrading of diplomatic relations will impede further Russian-Estonian dialogue.
The expert did not rule out the possibility that this decision could set a precedent, which “may then spread to other unfriendly countries.”
