Colombia has expelled two alleged Russian intelligence officers working under diplomatic protection earlier this month, media reported Tuesday.
Colombian authorities said the Russian diplomats violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations but would not detail why they left, according to Reuters. The news agency reported that President Ivan Duque declined to reveal additional information, telling local television it would violate the “principle of continuing bilateral relations.”
Colombia’s head of migration Juan Francisco Espinosa said the two Russian diplomats had left on Dec. 8 and also declined to explain why.
“Given the circumstances in which these two officials, these two people, left, they cannot return to the country in the short term,” Reuters quoted Espionsa as saying.
Citing unnamed sources, Colombia’s El Tiempo newspaper and other outlets reported that the two Russian diplomats were spies tasked with collecting military and economic intelligence. They were said to have an interest in Colombia’s energy industry and mineral commodities, and had been attempting to recruit sources in the city of Cali.
The publication identified the men as Alexander Paristov and Alexander Belousov, both of whom had allegedly been in Colombia for more than two years. Colombia’s W Radio station reported, also citing unnamed government sources, that Paristov is an alleged member of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the second diplomat a member of the GRU military intelligence agency.
Moscow ousted two Colombian diplomats in retaliation to Bogota’s move, Reuters cited the Colombian foreign ministry as saying.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry has not publicly commented on the tit-for-tat expulsions.
(c) The Moscow Times
“Given the circumstances in which these two officials, these two people, left, they cannot return to the country in the short term,”
When a shithole country like Colombia, whose No1 export is cocaine, kicks the trash out of their country, your standing in the world really has hit rock bottom.
The list of Moskali “partners” is getting shorter and shorter. I would love to see a UNGA vote on suspension of membership for Communist China and Communist Moskovia as P5 members. Separate votes of course, I think they would toss out Putin easier.
I reckon Lavrov tried to squeeze the Columbians for a bigger cut on the cocaine trafficking, and they told him where to go.
Very possible since Putin has revived the RuSSian mafia. Or perhaps they tried the same crap they pulled on Venezuela and the C.A.R. to provide weapons and training in exchange for their oil, gas, diamonds, uranium and sovereignty.
I think the Russian mafia would be advised to keep away from the Columbian mafia, they will get hurt.
Great point. After all, Columbia is the home of the Columbian necktie. In case anyone doesn’t know what that is, it will turn your stomach:
A Colombian necktie (Spanish: corte corbata) is a form of post-mortem mutilation in which the victim’s tongue is pulled through a deep cut beneath the jaw and left dangling on the neck.
Lavrov and Maria need one of those. Or just remove their tongues and shove them up their ass, that’s where they do most of their talking from.