Russia to close Polish consulate general in Irkutsk
Russia's foreign ministry has notified Polish Ambassador Krzysztof Krajewski that the Polish Consulate General in Irkutsk will be closed as of December 30, following Poland's decision earlier this month to shut down Russia’s last remaining consulate on its territory.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Krajewski on Thursday to announce its decision, the ministry wrote in a statement.
On November 19, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski announced his decision to shut down the last remaining Russian consulate in Poland, in the northern city of Gdansk, following acts of sabotage targeting a railway line connecting Warsaw with Dorohusk on the country's border with Ukraine. Warsaw says the two Ukrainian nationals who are suspected of causing a railway track explosion and infrastructure damage were acting under instructions from Moscow.
The Russian ministry said in its Thursday statement that the closure of the Irkutsk consulate was a direct response to Poland's decision to shut down the Gdansk mission. The Russian consulate in Gdansk is to be closed by December 23.
Maciej Wewior, Poland's foreign ministry spokesperson, told PAP that Warsaw had anticipated such a development and that the diplomatic mission in Moscow would assume the responsibilities of the Irkutsk consulate. (PAP)
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