The Foreign Ministry confirms to news that the diplomat’s visa has been withdrawn. – Our ambassador in Moscow was today summoned to a meeting in the Russian Foreign Ministry. He was then informed that our employee’s visa has been withdrawn, writes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an e-mail to news. The video of the diplomat circulated in the Russian media before it reached the public in Norway. To the hotel staff at the Russian hotel, she says, among other things, that she hates Russians. She was annoyed that there was someone else in the room she had been given and also questioned the cleanliness of the rooms. The video led to strong reactions in Russia. – After what has happened, the Norwegian diplomat’s presence in Russia is impossible as we see it, says a statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. It was the AFP news agency that reported the news first. Ambassador called into the carpet The diplomat was on the move from Russia when she scolded the staff. All Norwegian diplomats attached to Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk left Russia on 8 July, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry confirms to news. There are currently no Norwegian diplomats in Murmansk. The Norwegian ambassador to Russia, Rune Resaland, was summoned to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the case. There, the Russians filed a protest against what, according to AFP, they referred to as “insulting, Russophobic statements” from the diplomat. – 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 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Believing the video was leaked by Russian intelligence Russia’s foreign ministry quickly came out and condemned what they described as a “hate tirade” from the Norwegian diplomat when the video reached the public. Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called it a “terrible act” of “hate, nationalism and xenophobia”. The video appears to have been first published by Russian website Mash. According to AFP, the news channel has a reputation for having close ties to Russian intelligence. Editor in the Barents Observer, Thomas Nilsen, believes the video has been published by Russian intelligence. He questions the fact that the video was leaked now, a month after the incident happened. – It is a kind of “thank you for the last time” from the Russian authorities – shortly after the Norwegian diplomats left Russia, says Nilsen.
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