Russia summons Spanish ambassador over ‘old enemy’ remark
Spanish Ambassador to Moscow Fernando Valderrama has been summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry over a comment made by acting Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell.
In an interview with El Periodico, Borrell mentioned Russia only once, while talking about changes in the world. “A lot has changed. Our ally (the US) is turning its back on us. Our old enemy, Russia, is once again asserting itself and posing a threat, and China is becoming a rival,” he said, adding that in such a situation Europeans urgently need to join forces.
The Russian Foreign Ministry informed the summoned Spanish diplomat that Borrell’s statement “damages relations between Russia and Spain”.
“The ambassador was shown the contradiction between what the Spanish politician said and the mutual perception of bilateral ties as friendly, collaborative, and mutually beneficial, which is stated in all the official documents signed between the two countries in recent times,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in May, several Estonian politicians remarked that Moscow’s refusal to give Estonia the territory agreed on in the 1920 Treaty of Tartu constitutes a continued occupation. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded sharply.
“These provocative lunges, which essentially contain territorial claims against Russia, are absolutely unacceptable. It is obvious that far from everyone in Estonia is interested in engaging in normal, good neighborly dialog with our country. On the contrary, there is a desire to spoil any positivity that emerges in bilateral relations,” said official Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova.