The accreditation of the mission staff will be terminated from November 1
https://tass.com/politics/1350875
MOSCOW, October 18. /TASS/. Russia will suspend the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow and recall the accreditation of its staff in response to the alliance’s decision to withdraw the accreditation of eight Russian diplomats, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference on Monday.
“In response to NATO’s actions, we are suspending the activity of the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow and will recall the accreditation of its staff from November 1 this year,” Russia’s top diplomat said, replying to a question from TASS.
Also, the operation of the NATO information office in Moscow that was set up at the embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium will be terminated, Lavrov said.
“If NATO has some urgent matters, it may contact our ambassador in Belgium on these issues,” the foreign minister added.
NATO announced on October 6 that it had cut the staff of the Russian mission at the alliance from 20 to 10 members, revoking the accreditation of eight diplomats and abolishing two vacant positions. The North Atlantic alliance told the Russian diplomats to leave Brussels by late October.
Comme prévu les relations entre la russie et l occident continuent à se dégrader.
Expulsions de 8 diplomates russes par l otan, échec des négonciations avec nuland, provocations américaines avec le destroyer chafee dans le pacifique. La russie répond maintenant en supprimant toute liaison avec l otan. A chaque fois les occidentaux provoquent et la russie répond. Les occidentaux n obtiennent rien mais ils continuent l’escalade.
Je ne comprends pas ce que cherche à faire l’occident et je ne sais pas jusqu’ou ils sont prets à aller. Je reste cependant convaincu par le fait que toute l’élite occidentale est composée de bouffons dangereux donc je suis plutot inquiet.
Hypocrisy at its best. Here is nato s answer:
“We have taken note of the decision by Russia to suspend the work of its diplomatic mission to NATO, and of NATO’s Military Liaison Mission in Moscow, and to close down NATO’s Information Mission in Moscow. We regret these steps,” Lungescu said.
“NATO’s policy towards Russia remains consistent. We have strengthened our deterrence and defence in response to Russia’s aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open to dialogue, including through the NATO-Russia Council,” she said.
Nato wants to talk and Russia is the aggressor. We won’t go anywhere with these actions. Where does nato wants to go? That’s the question.
Nato knows that Russia would never start a war, therefore NATO can talk loud, with hypocrisy and idiotic arrogance.
They are clowns, just clowns with less and less audience.
Cheers from France.
So: Russia “suspends” (does not close) that NATO office in Moscow, and closes NATO’s propaganda outfit set up in the Belgian embassy.
Question: how does this “hurt” NATO?
An educated guess: not an iota.
Forgive me, this is not clear: Is it the entire NATO mission being cut?
Does Lavrov not still have 10 Russian diplomats at Russia’s NATO mission?
“NATO has cut the staff of the Russian mission at the alliance from 20 to 10″…
It only refers to 8 diplomats who have been asked to leave. Or are those cuts from Oct and the remaining 10 are being cut from Nov?
This might clarify your questions.
>https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/18/world/europe/russia-nato.html
>By early next month, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, Russia will halt the activities of its representative office at NATO headquarters in Brussels and withdraw diplomatic credentials from emissaries of the alliance working in Moscow.
>Earlier this month, NATO ordered eight Russian diplomats to leave Belgium by Nov. 1, saying they were undeclared intelligence officers. The alliance also reduced the size of the Russian representative office.
>In response, Mr. Lavrov said Russia’s entire diplomatic mission would leave by Nov. 1, or a few days after that date.
>“Because of NATO’s targeted steps, proper conditions for elemental diplomatic activity don’t exist,” he said. “In response to NATO’s actions, we are halting the work of our permanent representation to NATO, including the work of the main military envoy.”
>Relations with the alliance had in any case long ago gone off the rails, he said. NATO had already twice reduced the size of the Russian delegation, in 2015 and 2018, he said. “On the military level there are absolutely no contacts taking place,” he said.
>He said NATO had set up a “prohibitive regime” for Russian diplomats in Brussels by banning them from its headquarters building. Without visiting the building, he said, they could not maintain ties with alliance officials.
>Mr. Lavrov suggested the expulsions of Russian diplomats had come as an unwelcome surprise, as he had met in New York just days earlier with the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, and discussed de-escalating tensions.
>“He in every way underscored the honest, as he said, interest in the North Atlantic alliance in normalizing relations with the Russian Federation,” Mr. Lavrov said.
>NATO could still convey diplomatic messages to Russia’s embassy in Brussels, if necessary, Mr. Lavrov said.
Thanks. So Russia has broken off all ties with NATO in retaliation for the expulsion of their 8 diplomats..
From reading Anonymous’ post it appears that there is no point in Russia leaving any personnel in Brussels since they are not being allowed to interact with their NATO counterparts. Showing these clowns to the door is the right response IMO.
NATO created this situation. Have to wonder what they are thinking. Russia should continue to beef up her western borders just in case NATO is feeling its oats. Insanity.
Formal Statement
On October 6, 2021, the NATO Secretariat officially announced NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s decision to withdraw the accreditation of eight members of the Russian Permanent Mission to NATO on November 1, 2021, as well as to reduce the overall number of mission personnel to 10. No reason for this decision has been provided.
The membership of our Permanent Mission in Brussels has unilaterally been reduced twice before, in 2015 and 2018, after the decision taken by the alliance on April 1, 2014, to suspend nearly all forms of civilian and military cooperation between Russia and NATO. Our diplomats’ access to the bloc headquarters and their ties with the International Secretariat have reduced dramatically. Military contacts have also been suspended.
These NATO actions have shown that the bloc is not interested in an equal dialogue or joint efforts to defuse military-political tension. Its policy towards Russia is becoming increasingly more aggressive. The myth about the alleged “Russian threat” is being promoted, in part, to strengthen the bloc’s internal affinity and to make it look important in the current geopolitical circumstances.
In response to these unfriendly actions, the Russian side has adopted the following decisions:
– In the absence of the necessary conditions for conducting diplomatic activities, due to NATO’s deliberate steps, the functioning of the Russian Permanent Mission to NATO, including its chief military representative, shall be suspended;
The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Kingdom of Belgium shall be authorised to maintain emergency ties with the bloc’s headquarters. The ambassador of one of the NATO member states in Moscow, to be chosen at the bloc’s discretion, could perform similar functions.
– The activities of the NATO Military Liaison Mission Moscow shall be suspended. The accreditation of its employees shall be withdrawn on November 1, 2021;
– The NATO Information Office at the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Moscow shall be closed down.
The NATO International Secretariat is officially notified of this decision by the Russian side.
https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/4907931
thanks Amarynth!
Bonsoir. Sur RT j ai lu que pour Moscou le fait que l Ukraine rejoigne l otan est considere comme “le scenario du pire” et que la russie serait dans l obligation de “repondre de maniere active”.
Pourriez vous expliquer en quoi le fait que l Ukraine rejoigne l otan de maniere officielle est une question aussi serieuse pour Moscou (l Ukraine est pilotee par l otan depuis 2014)?
De plus pensez vous que ceci est qqch que les puissance occidentales considerent serieusement et que ferait la russie pour repondre a cette menace si elle devait se materialiser?
Merci.
Yandex translation. Mod:
Good evening. On RT I read that for Moscow the fact that Ukraine joins Nato is considered “the scenario of the worst” and that Russia would be obliged to ”respond actively”.
Could you explain why the fact that Ukraine is officially joining Nato is such a serious issue for Moscow (Ukraine has been nato-led since 2014)?
Moreover do you think that this is what Western powers seriously consider and what would Russia do to respond to this threat if it were to materialize?
Thanks.
“… Pourriez vous expliquer en quoi le fait que l Ukraine rejoigne l otan de maniere officielle est une question aussi serieuse pour Moscou (l Ukraine est pilotee par l otan depuis 2014)? …”
For one, Ukraine joining NATO would mean that NATO reaches the very border of Russian Federation in that already militarily highly active region. Of course, NATO is already on Russia’s land borders (Latvia and Estonia in the east and then to the west Lithuania and Poland surrounding Kaliningrad). But it would be a very major step in West’s surrounding of Russia.
“… et que ferait la russie pour repondre a cette menace si elle devait se materialiser? …”
Yes, that is the big question indeed: what would Russians actually do in case that this “red line” is crossed? Would they really do something … or merely expel some western diplomats (:-)) and write a complaint to the International Court in the Hague about their western “partners'” misbehaviour?… I dread even to think about it.
I think a diplomatic red line has already been crossed, with Lavrov throwing in the towel with NATO.
Previously, Russia would always respond equally or less harshly to various sanctions. This time Russia’s response was greater than the initial sanction from the West…
“… This time Russia’s response was greater than the initial sanction from the West… …”
Where do you see that? Which response? I strongly disagree.
I did ask for clarification about this so correct if I am wrong:
NATO reduced Russian diplomatic position in Brussels by 10. (8 were asked to leave, 2 vacant positions were closed).
In response, Russia did not just ask for the reciprocal departure of 10 NATO diplomats. They have:
1. Shut down the entire NATO mission in Moscow
2. Have pulled their remaing 10 diplomats from NATO HQ in Brussels.
Due to happen on Nov 1st 2021.
Yes! it is huge – you’re so right to dig for the real actuals Serbian Girl!
Search for Ishchenko’s analysis;
https://cont.ws/@ishchenko
My comment is “we are in the multi-polar world”.
Hi Amarynth,
I don’t know how huge it is, but its definitely a turning point.: A formalisation of the non-existent diplomatic relationship between the West and Russia.
Here Lavrov explains why he decided to pull the plug:
https://tass.com/world/1351339
There was already very little exchange between the Russia and NATO…
“… Lavrov … decided to pull the plug …”
Yes. And how does this actually affect NATO? What is that, of substance, which NATO cannot do now that it could have done before? A rather superficial public mutual exchange of clerical “pleasantries”, hardly in the same league with economic and financial sanctions, not to speak of military matters.
Very good analysis. You should be a journalist. There are so very few good ones!
NATO is losing importance at an almost breathtaking pace – at least that is my impression.
This would not have been thought possible a year ago…
NATO was so “friendly” to provide the occasion for the RF to end the theater…
This is a nice prelude for incoming spring in the Balkans.
We can expect situation with Republika Srpska and Kosovo and Metohija to enter in new, more unstable phase where the West intends to create another Syria.
Bosnia, Kosovo, and Montenegro have already made a formal request for the US to send their NATO & ISIS goons on us…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/11/western-balkans-us-engagement-serbia
Note the “priority” for Bosnia to join NATO . If that were to happen, they would have to dissolve Dayton Agreement, the Bosnian Constitution and Bosnian Serb Republic. This is what they call “rule of law” …
That’s right. What will eventually happen is anyone’s guess. It would seem that this could a “test case” for actual proportion of powers, West vs. Russia and China…
Adding more NATO members sets more trip wires for war due to the NATO mutual defense pact. I hate to say it but from their actions it looks like the west and NATO are planning on a war with Russia (which they will start probably via a false flag attack).
Those that ask how does this ‘hurt’ Nato perhaps do not get it.
We’re not talking just Nato here. We’re talking the EU and the US, and we’re talking China. Nato has been told that they are of such little use for Russia, that the usual principle of talking before shooting is not even worth keeping on the table. This is a Shoot Us or Shut Up measure. This is the proverbial ‘cutting off the line of the red telephone’ between presidents and putting that telephone with a flunky. This is not a tit-for-tat measure, it is an escalation. I’ll quote from Ishchenko.
“For the first time in recent decades, Russia is the first to leave the not yet
completely destroyed negotiating platform. For the first time, Moscow is
deliberately escalating relations with the collective West, and not with a part
of it, because NATO is not only the United States, but also almost the entire
EU.
This suggests obvious conclusions. First, Moscow is confident that the West
will not be able to come out against it with a united front — internal
contradictions are too great, so playing for aggravation with the United
States stuck in a conflict with China is permissible.
Secondly, Russia feels sufficiently invulnerable to defiantly refuse to
negotiate with the strongest military bloc on the planet simply because it is
not satisfied with the proposals made on the format of resolving relations.
Rather, it is not satisfied with the fact that the United States is trying to
demonstrate negotiating activity in the Moscow direction, without going into
specifics. Thus, Washington is trying to frighten China with “secret
agreements with Moscow”, without actually taking on any specific
obligations.
Third, Russia has launched a diplomatic offensive. I mentioned above how
Moscow put the Americans under Chinese pressure. A simple response from
a representative to NATO, and the hunter turned out to be game.”
Third, Russia has launched a diplomatic offensive.
This is a welcome change, instead of Moscow always taking hit after hit.
We all know the West can “give it”; let’s see how well they take it. My guess: they will not be able to take very much, and they will constantly whine & cry to their BBC+CNN+Bloomberg+etc. echo chamber.
“… This is not a tit-for-tat measure …”
You seem not to have read the very title of the above TASS dispatch: “Russia to suspend NATO military liaison mission in Moscow in tit-for-tat move”. The Russian government itself says it. TASS is as close to being a government news outlet as it can be.
As for Ishchenko’s three points, again, these are exactly about public posturing, supposed displays of a novel self-confidence, and purely verbal offensives. All implying vague promises not yet materialised.
Oh, I read it OK. I just happen to disagree with their early depiction. It was an early report – the first one out and at the Saker blog we wanted this move out quickly. This was posted in the watch list at the time. It’s sub-standard in the reporting to anyone that understands tit for tat diplomatic measures.
But you keep to your ideas – no problem. The rest of us are watching this very carefully.
This is a brilliant analysis by Rotislav! I agree with everything he has pointed out. And yes, it is an escalation.
The West is still not getting it. Reactions from media pundits & politicians ranges from:
a. So what
b. Good riddance, they were spies anyways
c. Russia is a threat & no longer wants diplomatic solutions