The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, announced in Wednesday’s briefing the closing of the Consulate General of Romania in Rostov-on-Don.
The Romanian Consulate in Rostov-on-Don must close starting from October 14, announced by Zakharova. The decision to close it was made by Moscow at the end of last year.
“The Romanian side received an official notification according to which the Consulate General of Romania in Rostov-on-Don will cease its activity as of October 14. The functions of providing consular services in the respective constituency are transferred to the embassy of this country in Moscow”, Zakharova said in the briefing transcribed on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In response, Romania’s Ministry of External Affairs responded that it was not officially informed by Russia’s decision.
Up to Tuesday, Romania has an embassy in Moscow, a consulate in Saint Petersburg and one in Rostov-on-Don.
Meanwhile, the Russian Federation also has a Consulate General in Romania, in Constanta, attached to the Embassy in Bucharest.
In June 2023, the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry asked Moscow to reduce the diplomatic personnel of Russia’s Embassy in Bucharest to 40 people. In August 2023, Russia did the same with Romania’s consulate in Russia.
Romania says it did this as because Russia was violating the provisions of the Vienna Convention, in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia did it as retaliation.
Now, the decision to close the Rostov-on-Don follows the decision of the Russian side to denounce the bilateral intergovernmental agreement regarding the opening of the aforementioned consular office, adopted in December 2023, as a response to the unfriendly actions of the Romanian authorities, says Maria Zakharova.
