Columbia expels two Russian diplomats for espionage
Colombian authorities have expelled two Russian diplomats from the country, reported the newspaper El Tiempo with reference to the director of Columbia’s immigration service Juan Francisco Espinosa.
"On December 8, two Russian citizens who worked at this country’s embassy on our territory left the country," he said.
According to him, these persons were expelled for interstate reasons. "Given the circumstances in which these two people leave, they will not be able to return to the country in the short term," Espinosa added.
Sources in the Colombian government claim that both diplomats were suspected of espionage. The National Intelligence Directorate warned of their illegal activities. According to sources, Russian diplomats were in the process of recruiting people in the city of Cali. The newspaper's interlocutors noted that, in addition to military intelligence, they conducted economic intelligence and were interested in obtaining insider information about the exploration of mineral resources.
According to the newspaper, the Russian are Alexander Paristov (born January 12, 1989) and Alexander Belousov (born January 29, 1981). Both have been in Colombia for more than two years.
El Tiempo reports that Russia has expelled two Colombian diplomats in response to Bogota's actions.
The Russian embassy in Colombia declined to comment. "We don't give any comment yet. ... No comment," one of the diplomatic mission's employees told RIA Novosti.
The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that two employees of the Russian Embassy had been forced to leave the South American country because their activities violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. "The government has decided to request the expulsion of two Russian diplomats accredited to Colombia, as the audit confirmed that they were engaged in activities incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the statement reads.
The Foreign Ministry noted that despite this situation, Bogota intends to continue diplomatic, trade and partnership relations with Moscow, which are traditionally at a good level.