Russian FM Not to Attend NATO Meeting Due to Diplomats Expulsion

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has dropped plans to attend the May NATO-Russia meeting at the ministerial level, news agencies reported on Tuesday citing a diplomatic source.

The decision is an apparent protest to the expulsion of two Russian diplomats from the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"Due to the provocative actions against two employees at the Russian mission to NATO, there are no plans for a ministerial level meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (NRC)," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted the source as saying.

Russia has informed NATO that the meeting within the framework of NRC is inappropriate, the Interfax news agency reported.

"We informed our partners of this decision at the meeting of the preparation council of the NATO-Russia Council this morning. We find a ministerial meeting inappropriate and insist on an urgent meeting at the level of ambassadors to discuss and resolve the conflict," Russia's permanent representative Dmitry Rogozin at NATO.

The meeting would be the first meeting between Russia and NATO at such a high level since the Russia-Georgia conflicts in last August, said Itar-Tass news agency.

Rogozin confirmed on April 30 that two Russian diplomats have been expelled by the alliance for allegedly espionage. He described the accusations of spying act as "far-fetched, irresponsible and provocative," and pledged firm reaction to the decision from Russia.