Russia: NATO 'astonished us by its arrogance' - FM spox on Russian diplomats expelling

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on the NATO Secretary General's decision to conclude the accreditation of eight Russian diplomats and their expulsion from Brussels during her weekly briefing in Moscow on Thursday.

She stated that NATO officially notified the Russian side on October 6. "This NATO step surprised us, but it didn’t catch us by surprise, it astonished us by its arrogance, as we received no official explanation of the reasons," Zakharova said.

The spokesperson stressed that the North Atlantic Alliance had not given official explanations about the reasons for the expulsion of diplomats, but with the help of the media began a campaign with "fibs" and "disinformation".

NATO on Wednesday expelled the diplomats alleging they were secretly working as intelligence officers.

"We have taken note, with extreme concern, of the activities of ISIS in the area of ​​the Russian embassy in Kabul. Five fighters of this terrorist group were eliminated there on October 4," Zakharova added.

She called on the Afghan authorities to take supplementary measures to guarantee security to the Russian diplomatic mission and the Russian citizens in Afghanistan.

Moreover, Zakharova stated that the conflict on the Tajik-Afghan border is "the focus of the closest attention" on the part of Russia. "If necessary, we will take the most decisive measures in accordance with the principles of the Russian-Tajik alliance and strategic partnership," the diplomat said.

According to Zakharova, Russia is interested "to implement the stated and given assurances, including preventing threats from Afghan territory to third countries " from the Taliban.

SOUNDBITES:

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson (Russian): "We proceed from the fact that NATO Secretary General has decided to terminate the accreditation of eight members of the Russian Permanent Mission to NATO in Brussels. They officially notified Russian side on October 6. Thus, our mission will have been halved since October 31 of this year. This NATO step surprised us, but it didn’t catch us by surprise; it astonished us by its arrogance, as we received no official explanation of the reasons. Moreover, a media campaign began, such a libellous campaign, characterised by a series of fibs and plain disinformation expressed by the NATO."

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson (Russian): "Today they, the platforms of social networks, are probably going through if not some kind of transformation then at least a period of turbulence. This is due in no small part to the absence of a really global regulation, which would have an international character, of their activities. Of course, this is due to the lack of the legal basis for their activities as foreign legal entities in other countries, the absence of contacts with host countries. A huge number of issues require urgent solutions. We saw, just a few days ago, the global collapse of several digital platforms: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, etc. It is referred to the work of American IT giants. This has clearly demonstrated to the whole world both the complexity and fragility of the information architecture that has been built and, let's be honest, monopolised by US Internet companies during the previous two decades."

SOT, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson (Russian): "We are concerned about the growing activity of the ISIS in Afghanistan. Recently, ISIS members have carried out a major terrorist attack near a mosque in the centre of Kabul, as a result 20 civilians were killed, about 30 were injured. The group intensified hostilities in the south of the country, in particular in Zabul province. We have taken note, with extreme concern, of the activities of ISIS in the area of ​​the Russian embassy in Kabul. Five fighters of this terrorist group were eliminated there on October 4. We call on the Afghan authorities to take additional measures to ensure the security of the Russian diplomatic mission, as well as the Russian citizens ".

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