OREANDA-NEWS. Russia declares the employee of the Norwegian Embassy in Moscow persona non grata. This is reported on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. The diplomat must leave the country within three days.

This measure is a response to the “unfriendly action of the Norwegian authorities,” which previously expelled a Russian diplomat from the country amid a spy scandal. “The Russian side stressed that the destructive line pursued by the Norwegian authorities will inevitably negatively affect the atmosphere of bilateral relations. Responsibility for the consequences of such a policy rests entirely with Oslo,” a statement of the Russian Foreign Ministry reads.

In mid-August, a spy scandal took place in Norway. Police detained an employee of a consulting company; he was accused of passing sensitive information to Russian intelligence. The defense side reported that the man admitted to transferring data for a reward, but said that there was no confidential information in the messages. He was arrested for four weeks.

Amid the spy scandal, on August 19 Norway decided to expel the Russian diplomat. His name was not mentioned. According to the television channel NRK, he worked in the trade department of the Russian Embassy.