Russia has warned France "there would be consequences" over the temporary detention of a Russian diplomat at Paris airport, and described the incident as a "shameful spectacle."
"What happened on April 6 at Charles de Gaulle airport has no explanation," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a weekly press briefing on Wednesday, news agency AFP reported.
"The Russian embassy immediately sent a consular officer to the airport. Our diplomat had to wait almost seven hours for access to their colleague, who had arrived in France as part of an official delegation. We do not intend to leave this without consequences," Zakharova added.
Earlier, in a statement to AFP, France's foreign ministry said it had discussed the issue with Moscow on Tuesday.
"The person concerned was able to benefit from consular protection, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," the ministry spokesperson stated.
The detention
According to Moscow, the diplomat, a foreign ministry employee whom it did not name, landed in Paris on Sunday as part of an official delegation. It added that the French border police confiscated her phone and computer and kept her waiting at the airport for hours, despite her having been issued a French visa.
She was later released and her equipment returned.
Russia-France ties to worsen further?
The Kremlin called the detention of its official "totally unacceptable" and said it would "further aggravate" ties with Paris.
Russia also said it had sent a note of protest to the French foreign ministry and summoned the French ambassador in Moscow.
Additionally, the incident could further strain ties between the two countries; Moscow and Paris have each expelled dozens of diplomats since Russia's Ukraine offensive began in February 2022.
France has been a staunch backer of Ukraine and floated the idea of deploying peacekeepers there as part of a future peace settlement, a proposal Russia has called "unacceptable" and one which would threaten direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
"What happened on April 6 at Charles de Gaulle airport has no explanation," Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a weekly press briefing on Wednesday, news agency AFP reported.
"The Russian embassy immediately sent a consular officer to the airport. Our diplomat had to wait almost seven hours for access to their colleague, who had arrived in France as part of an official delegation. We do not intend to leave this without consequences," Zakharova added.
Earlier, in a statement to AFP, France's foreign ministry said it had discussed the issue with Moscow on Tuesday.
"The person concerned was able to benefit from consular protection, in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," the ministry spokesperson stated.
The detention
According to Moscow, the diplomat, a foreign ministry employee whom it did not name, landed in Paris on Sunday as part of an official delegation. It added that the French border police confiscated her phone and computer and kept her waiting at the airport for hours, despite her having been issued a French visa.
She was later released and her equipment returned.
Russia-France ties to worsen further?
The Kremlin called the detention of its official "totally unacceptable" and said it would "further aggravate" ties with Paris.
Russia also said it had sent a note of protest to the French foreign ministry and summoned the French ambassador in Moscow.
Additionally, the incident could further strain ties between the two countries; Moscow and Paris have each expelled dozens of diplomats since Russia's Ukraine offensive began in February 2022.
France has been a staunch backer of Ukraine and floated the idea of deploying peacekeepers there as part of a future peace settlement, a proposal Russia has called "unacceptable" and one which would threaten direct conflict between Russia and NATO.
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