Russia Refuses Entry To Polish Political Scientist

Poland on Tuesday asked Russia to explain why it had refused entry to the head of the EU and NATO country's Institute of international affairs, the Polish foreign ministry said, marking the latestof a string of tensions with Moscow

Warsaw, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th May, 2018 ) :Poland on Tuesday asked Russia to explain why it had refused entry to the head of the EU and NATO country's Institute of international affairs, the Polish foreign ministry said, marking the latestof a string of tensions with Moscow.

Authorities at Moscow's Domodedovo airport told Slawomir Debski that his visa had been cancelled and that he had been banned from entering Russia until March 2021, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Artur Lompart told AFP.

Debski was then put on a flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

A political scientist and historian, Debski was due to participate in an international conference organised by the Moscow-based Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations.

Russian Ambassador to Poland Sergei Andreyev told the Russian Ria-Novosti news agency that the move was a reaction to similar measures taken by Poland in late 2017 and early 2018 against Russian political scientists Oleg Bondarenko and Alexei Martynov.

"We're not taking any steps to degrade relations with Poland, but when our partners impose sanctions and restrictions against us, we are forced to act appropriately," the diplomat said.

Two weeks ago Poland detained then expelled a Russian citizen suspected of sowing tensions between Warsaw and neighbouring Ukraine.

Poland's ABW counter-intelligence agency also said that it had decided to ban four other Russian citizens also suspected of similar activities.

NATO, as well as EU member states, the United States and other nations, expelled more than 150 Russian diplomats in March in a coordinated action in the wake of the poisoning of a former Russian spy on British soil.

Having flatly rejected responsibility for the attack on ex-double agent Sergei Skripal, Russia retaliated with tit-for-tat expulsions.