Eight European Union Countries Call For Restrictions On Russian Diplomat Movements

EU. (Wikimedia Commons/Corentin Béchade)

JAKARTA - Eight European Union foreign ministers have asked the bloc to limit the movement of Russian diplomats across their territory, restricting them to the countries they are credited with, in a letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell.

"The free movement of diplomatic passport holders and Russian service, accredited in one host country, across the Schengen region facilitates malicious activity," according to a letter dated June 11, seen by Reuters, reported June 13.

The ministers said intelligence, propaganda "or even preparation of acts of sabotage are the main workload for a large number of Russian 'diplomats' in the European Union", and although expulsion is important, the threat remains.

"We believe that the European Union must strictly follow the principle of reciprocity and limit the movement of members of Russia's diplomatic mission and their family members to only accredited territory of the country," they said.

"This move will significantly narrow the space for Russian agents," the letter added, signed by ministers from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, and Romania.