BUCHAREST: Romania said on Wednesday it had expelled two military diplomats from the Russian embassy in Bucharest as tensions sour between Moscow and the European Union and NATO-member country.
Romania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision related to Russia’s military, air and naval attaché, Victor Makovskiy, and his deputy, Evgeni Ignatiev, over alleged “activities that contravene the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.” The ministry did not provide further detail.
Romania’s Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu informed the head of the Russian embassy of the decision during a meeting on Wednesday, the ministry said.
The Russian embassy described the decision as “unfounded and unfriendly.” The embassy “reserves the right to take retaliatory measures,” it said in a Facebook post.
The expulsions came a day Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service reportedly claimed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had asked Bucharest to bar Romanian presidential candidate Calin Georgescu, who emerged as the frontrunner in last year’s canceled election, from participating in the rerun in May.
Georgescu has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as “a man who loves his country” and called Ukraine “an invented state,” but he claims not to be pro-Russian.
Romania’s Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days before the Dec. 8 runoff after Georgescu’s surprise first-round win. The far-right populist had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending, after which allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Moscow has denied it interfering in the Romanian election process.
Election rerun
Romanian prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against Georgescu, accusing him of supporting fascist groups, “incitement to actions against the constitutional order,” and false declarations regarding electoral campaign financing and asset disclosures. Prosecutors placed him under judicial control, which he has appealed.
Georgescu, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, said on Monday outside a court in Bucharest that it is “a political case” against him.
The first round of the rerun of the election is scheduled for May 4. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of ballots, a runoff will follow on May 18.
It isn’t yet clear whether Georgescu will be able to participate in the new election.
Romania expels two military officials attached to Russian embassy for breaching diplomatic rules
https://arab.news/4ubpc
Romania expels two military officials attached to Russian embassy for breaching diplomatic rules
- Romania’s Foreign Minister Emil Hurezeanu informed the head of the Russian embassy of the decision during a meeting on Wednesday, the ministry said
- The Russian embassy described the decision as “unfounded and unfriendly”
ICE agents to help with security at Winter Olympics
ROME: Agents from the divisive Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will help support US security operations for the Winter Olympic Games in Italy next month, a spokesperson told AFP.
“At the Olympics, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is supporting the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and host nation to vet and mitigate risks from transnational criminal organizations,” the agency said in a statement.
“All security operations remain under Italian authority.”
It added: “Obviously, ICE does not conduct immigration enforcement operations in foreign countries.”
The potential presence of ICE agents at the February 6-22 Games has sparked huge debate in Italy, following the outcry over the deaths of two civilians during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Italian authorities initially denied the presence of ICE and then sought to downplay any role, suggesting they would help only in security for the US delegation.
US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are attending the opening ceremony in Milan on February 6.
On Monday, the president of the northern Lombardy region, which is hosting some of the Olympic events, said their involvement would be limited to monitoring Vance and Rubio.
“It will be only in a defensive role, but I am convinced that nothing will happen,” Attilio Fontana told reporters.
However, his office then issued a statement saying he did not have any information on their presence, but was responding to a hypothetical question.
Thousands of ICE agents have been deployed by President Donald Trump in various US cities to carry out a crackdown on illegal immigration.
Their actions have prompted widespread protests, and the recent killings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, on the streets of Minneapolis sparked outrage.
