NATO has started to remove Russian diplomats, accredited as Russia’s permanent representatives, from NATO’s headquarters, a move concerning dozens of Russian diplomats, German n-tv.de reported.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg tried to downplay the measure, saying that the personnel ceiling for diplomatic missions of non-member countries was lowered to up to 30 in April 2015. The decision was not directed against a specific delegation or against a particular country, he said, but had to admit that only Russia has been affected by this initiative.
Stoltenberg also pointed out that NATO decided to stop practical cooperation with Russia. Since 2014, the work of the NATO-Russia Council has been suspended.
At the same time he emphasized that NATO wants to keep open the channels for political and military dialogue with Russia to avoid "misunderstandings". The US has set up a hotline between Moscow and Washington resembling a famous communications channel between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War.
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