Russia, "Temporary Closure of NATO Liaison Office"...Tensions Escalate with US and EU

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia announced that it will temporarily close its mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), signaling a potential escalation in tensions with the United States and Europe. This move is interpreted as a retaliatory measure against NATO's earlier decision to bar eight Russian diplomats from the mission on espionage charges. Diplomatic repercussions are also unfolding, with the U.S. refusing to attend an Afghanistan crisis meeting hosted by Russia.

According to Russia's TASS news agency on the 18th (local time), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated at a press conference, "Due to NATO's hostile actions, the reasonable conditions to continue basic diplomatic activities no longer exist," adding, "We will temporarily suspend the operations of the Russian mission to NATO as early as the beginning of next month."

Minister Lavrov emphasized, "At the same time, the activities of NATO's liaison office in Moscow will also be suspended," and "The accreditation of NATO liaison office staff will be revoked starting from the 1st of next month." He further explained, "The NATO intelligence office, which was established as part of the Belgian embassy, will also cease operations," and "In case of urgent situations requiring contact with NATO, communication can be made through the Russian ambassador to Belgium."

Russia's decision to close its mission to NATO is seen as a countermeasure following the expulsion of eight Russian diplomats from the mission earlier this month on espionage charges. Previously, on the 6th, NATO revoked the accreditation of these eight Russian diplomats, banned their access to the headquarters, and expelled them.

Relations between the U.S., Europe, and Russia, which had somewhat eased following the summit between U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, are now reportedly cooling again. The U.S. State Department also expressed displeasure in a statement regarding the Russia-led international conference on Afghanistan scheduled for the 19th, stating it would be difficult to participate. Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, said during a press briefing, "We look forward to participating in the meeting in the future, but we are not in a position to participate this week."