Russia to suspend NATO military liaison mission in Moscow in tit-for-tat move

MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Russia will suspend the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow and recall the accreditation of its staff in response to the alliance’s decision to withdraw the accreditation of eight Russian diplomats, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday. "In response to NATO’s actions, we are suspending the activity of the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow and will recall the accreditation of its staff from November 1 this year," Russia’s top diplomat said, replying to a question from TASS. Also, the operation of the NATO information office in Moscow that was set up at the embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium will be terminated, Lavrov said. "If NATO has some urgent matters, it may contact our ambassador in Belgium on these issues," the foreign minister added. NATO announced on October 6 that it had cut the staff of the Russian mission at the alliance from 20 to 10 members, revoking the accreditation of eight diplomats and abolishing two vacant positions. The North Atlantic alliance told the Russian diplomats to leave Brussels by late October. Read more