Frankfurt (Germany), 21 July (LaPresse) – The expulsion of the Italian military attaché in Moscow and his assistant is a measure taken in response to decisions made by Italy. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. “The decision is a response to the actions of the Italian government,” said Zakharova, rejecting the claims made by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who had described the Russian measure as “an act of revenge” for the expulsion of two military attachés from the Russian embassy in Rome and argued that Moscow had acted “without any reason”. “I don’t understand: is it ‘without any reason’ or is it ‘an act of retaliation’? Both statements are false,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. “This is a measure in response to the actions of the Italian government,” she reiterated. The spokesperson then referred to the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. “I wonder if they report things to Meloni in the same way: that the good Italian diplomats were sent home by bad Russia for no reason, whilst the bad Russian diplomats were expelled from Italy because they deserved it,” she wrote. On 9 July, Tajani had announced the expulsion of two military attachés from the Russian embassy in Rome, who had been ordered to leave Italy within three days. On that occasion, TASS notes, the Russian Foreign Ministry had signalled that it would respond.
Russia, Zakharova: ‘Expulsion of Italian diplomats is a response to Rome; Tajani is lying’
Frankfurt (Germany), 21 July (LaPresse) – The expulsion of the Italian military attaché in Moscow and his assistant is a measure taken in response to decisions made by Italy. This was stated by the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova. “The decision is a response to the actions of the Italian government,” said Zakharova, rejecting the claims made by Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani, who had described the Russian measure as “an act of revenge” for the expulsion of two military attachés from the Russian embassy in Rome and argued that Moscow had acted “without any reason”. “I don’t understand: is it ‘without any reason’ or is it ‘an act of retaliation’? Both statements are false,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel. “This is a measure in response to the actions of the Italian government,” she reiterated. The spokesperson then referred to the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. “I wonder if they report things to Meloni in the same way: that the good Italian diplomats were sent home by bad Russia for no reason, whilst the bad Russian diplomats were expelled from Italy because they deserved it,” she wrote. On 9 July, Tajani had announced the expulsion of two military attachés from the Russian embassy in Rome, who had been ordered to leave Italy within three days. On that occasion, TASS notes, the Russian Foreign Ministry had signalled that it would respond.
