Austrian authorities recently ordered a Russian diplomat’s expulsion over charges of participating in “economic espionage”. The diplomat from the Russian Embassy in Austria allegedly violated his obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. According to an Austrian daily newspaper Kronen Zeitung, he is reported to have divulged confidential information acquired with the help of an Austrian citizen who was an employee at a technology firm. He has been asked to depart from Austria by September 1.
In response, Russia declared a diplomat in the Austrian Embassy in Russia as a “persona non grata”. Russia’s foreign ministry released a statement saying that the action taken against the diplomat is “based on the principle of reciprocity”. Further, through a statement on their website, the Russian Embassy to Vienna said that it was “appalled by the unfounded decision of the Austrian authorities, which is damaging to constructive Russian-Austrian relations”.
Recently, in June, Austria also charged a retired member of its armed forces for “spying” for Russia and “deliberately [disclosing] a military secret.” These decisions come as a surprise as Austria has always maintained a positive relationship with Russia. In fact, in 2018, Austria refused to follow several other members of the European Union (EU) in expelling Russian diplomats following the poisoning of Sergei Skripak, who was a former spy for Russia in Britain. Further, Austria was often criticised for its close relationship with the Putin administration. These close ties are primarily driven by the ruling party, the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), which is a vocal supporter of Russia. In 2016, Heinz-Christian Strache, the FPO’s party leader, also signed a “cooperation pact” with Putin’s United Russia party. Gustav Gressel, a former official at Austria’s Ministry of Defense, said, “Austria is economically and politically integrated in the West, but the FPO is trying to play the card of being part of the East … If you have an East-West confrontation, you basically have parts of your enemy behind your own lines.” Austria’s neutrality in the tiff between Russia and the EU and the US is also highlighted by its refusal to join the NATO, while simultaneously continuing not to be allied with Russia.
Austria’s decision follows a similar move by Norway. On August 15, the police in Oslo arrested a Norwegian citizen on charges of disclosing confidential information to foreign entities. He was arrested immediately after attending a meeting with a Russian intelligence officer. The Norwegian Police Security Service, in a post on Twitter, said, “The man is accused of having handed information to a foreign state that could harm basic national interests.” An official from the police force later confirmed that the information was being leaked to Russian officials. Further, the Norwegian authorities decided to oust a Russian diplomat. Norway’s officials said, “This is because the person in question has performed actions that are not compatible with his role and status as a diplomat.”
Also Read: Norwegian Citizen Arrested for Leaking Confidential Information to Russia
The accused was an employee of a firm called DNV GL, which provides the necessary certification for entities in the “maritime, oil and gas and renewables industries” to insure their equipment. Representatives of the company said that this breach was a “very serious matter” and ensured authorities of their complete cooperation for the investigation. Line Nyvoll Nygaard, the prosecutor for Norway’s intelligence agency, said, “Through his position (he) had access to information which, in our opinion, could be of great interest and significance to other countries and other actors.”