TEHRAN, January 18 (MNA) – The Russian Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it has expelled two Dutch Embassy staffers from the country."We told the representative of the Dutch Embassy that the Russian side made a decision, being guided by the principle of reciprocity, to expel two diplomatic staffers of the Dutch Embassy in Moscow from the Russian Federation.

They will be obligated to leave Russian territory within two weeks", the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, Sputnik News reported.

Dutch Charge d'Affaires ad interim Joost Reintjes was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

The ministry lodged a resolute protest against the groundless expulsion of two Russian diplomats from the Netherlands in December, motivated by alleged activities "incompatible with their diplomatic status”.

In December 2020, the Russian Embassy in The Hague promised to retaliate after the Dutch Foreign Ministry had declared two employees of the Russian diplomatic mission personae non grata for alleged "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status".

FA/PR