Rome, 9 July (LaPresse) – The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, summoned today, on the instructions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, to express “the Italian Government’s strongest protest following the illegal activities carried out by two officials with diplomatic status at the Embassy of the Russian Federation, recently identified on Italian territory thanks to a report from the AISI”. This is stated in a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting – the statement explains – the Secretary-General “reiterated that such actions constitute a serious and unacceptable interference with national security and Italian institutions”. It was also emphasised that Italy “will continue to counter, with the utmost determination, any hostile activity directed against the country, in close coordination with its allies”. Furthermore – the statement concludes – “Ambassador Paramonov was notified of the decision to proceed with the expulsion of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Federation – Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov – involved in activities found to be incompatible with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.
Espionage: Italian Foreign Ministry tells Russian ambassador: “Serious and unacceptable interference”
Rome, 9 July (LaPresse) – The Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Riccardo Guariglia, summoned today, on the instructions of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, to express “the Italian Government’s strongest protest following the illegal activities carried out by two officials with diplomatic status at the Embassy of the Russian Federation, recently identified on Italian territory thanks to a report from the AISI”. This is stated in a note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting – the statement explains – the Secretary-General “reiterated that such actions constitute a serious and unacceptable interference with national security and Italian institutions”. It was also emphasised that Italy “will continue to counter, with the utmost determination, any hostile activity directed against the country, in close coordination with its allies”. Furthermore – the statement concludes – “Ambassador Paramonov was notified of the decision to proceed with the expulsion of diplomatic personnel from the Russian Federation – Ivan Petrovich Gorbachev and Mikhail Vasilyevich Astakhov – involved in activities found to be incompatible with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations”.
