A Norwegian envoy who insulted hotel staff can no longer stay in the country
FILE PHOTO: A street in Oslo, Norway. © Maremagnum / Getty Images
Moscow has summoned ambassador Rune Resaland after a Norwegian consul was filmed insulting staff in a Russian hotel.
In a video published by news outlet Mash on Saturday, Elisabeth Ellingsen, who is stationed in the northern city of Murmansk, was heard saying “I hate Russians” during an argument over room service.
Moscow voiced a “resolute protest” over the incident, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
She revealed that the altercation between Ellingsen and the staff occurred on July 6. Ellingsen’s “Russophobic” remarks are “unacceptable,” she reiterated.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry released a statement, saying that it “deeply regretted” the incident, and Ellingsen’s tirade did not reflect Oslo’s attitude towards Russia and the Russian people.
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Zakharova said on Thursday that Moscow has taken the statement into account.
“At the same time, we stressed that the further presence of Elisabeth Ellingsen on the territory of the Russian Federation is impossible,” she said.
