14:05 21.11.2017

Ukraine expels Belarusian diplomat

2 min read
Ukraine expels Belarusian diplomat

In connection with the fact that Belarus announced the adviser of the Ukrainian Embassy to Belarus Ihor Skvortsov persona non grata, Ukraine, guided by the principle of reciprocity, has expelled the Belarusian diplomat from the country, spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Mariana Betsa has said.

"Due to the fact that the Belarusian side declared Ukrainian diplomat persona non grata and expelled him, Ukraine, guided by the principle of reciprocity, has also expelled the Belarusian diplomat from the country," Betsa told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

Later the spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry clarified that the Belarusian diplomat who had been expelled from Ukraine was the first secretary of the Belarusian embassy to Ukraine, and he had already left Ukraine, but she did not give his last name.

"This is the first secretary of the embassy of Belarus to Ukraine, and he had already left the country," Betsa said on 112.Ukraine TV channel on Tuesday, adding that "this situation is connected with the case of Pavlo Sharoiko."

She explained why this diplomat was expelled from Ukraine. "As a rule, more or less equivalent positions are preserved in diplomatic practice when expelling diplomats," Betsa said.

At the same time, the spokeswoman of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry did not specify the name of the deported diplomat, as well as his post.

As reported, it was announced on November 17, that UA: Ukrainian Radio correspondent Sharoiko had been detained in Minsk on October 25.

On Monday, November 20, Belarusian KGB spokesman Dmitry Pobyarzhin said that the Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) had detained Ukrainian national Pavlo Sharoiko in Minsk on suspicion of "creating an agent network in the country." Sharoiko admitted that he is a Ukrainian intelligence officer. The detainee confirmed that the officer of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense's main intelligence department Ihor Skvortsov, acting under the cover of the position of councilor at the Ukrainian embassy to Belarus, coordinated his intelligence activities, and for activity that is incompatible with his diplomatic status, Skvortsov was declared persona non grata.

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