On Thursday, Norway’s ambassador was called on the carpet at the Russian Foreign Ministry after a Norwegian diplomat’s “Russophobic” remarks. Her presence is “impossible”, says Russia.
Updated just now
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The Foreign Ministry confirms to VG that Norway’s ambassador to Russia, Rune Resaland, was summoned to a meeting with the Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday.
At the meeting, Russia is said to have protested because of the statements made to it the Norwegian diplomat at a hotel in Murmansk in July.
During the meeting, the diplomat’s visa was withdrawn, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms to VG.
It is therefore the ambassador – and not the diplomat himself – who was called to Thursday’s meeting.
The video of the Norwegian diplomat scolding hotel staff in Murmansk has been circulating online for the past week. It has been widely discussed in the Russian media and provoked strong reactions.
Believes the diplomat’s presence is “impossible”
On Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote that the diplomat’s behavior was “unacceptable” and that she made “Russophobic” insults.
– After what has happened, the Norwegian diplomat’s presence in Russia is impossible as we see it, says an official statement.
After the video was made public, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly distanced itself from the content of the statements and apologized for the incident.
– In the meeting, the ambassador repeated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ regret, and that the employee’s use of words does not reflect Norwegian politics and Norwegian attitudes towards Russia and Russians, writes Solberg to VG on Thursday.
The person concerned is employed as a senior adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has been attached to the Norwegian Consulate General in Murmansk, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs VG.
– In line with normal job rotation, she has finished her duties at the Consulate General in Murmansk, Solberg wrote in an email to VG on Wednesday.
At the same time, the consulate general is temporarily closed. There are now no Norwegian diplomats in Murmansk.
— The employee is now on holiday. We do not wish to publicly comment on the handling of personnel matters, Solberg wrote further.
– You just screw everything up
In the video, the Norwegian diplomat stands at the counter of a hotel in Murmansk. It is clear that she is not happy that she has to wait for her room to be cleaned.
– I won’t wait a minute. It’s already late, she says and continues:
– How clean is that room? I’m used to clean rooms, I’m from Scandinavia. Not like a Russian lady who just washes like that, she says, running one hand lightly over the counter to illustrate.
You can’t listen to the video if the hotel employees answer the diplomat.
– I hate Russians, she continues, before saying:
– This is fucking annoying. You guys just screw everything up. This hotel is a disgrace and all of you are a disgrace.
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