Austria debars 4 Russian diplomats for breaching international agreements

Austria will expel four Russian diplomats for behaving in violation of international agreements, a reason often cited in espionage cases, Austria's foreign ministry said Thursday, without elaborating.

Two of the four diplomats declared personae non gratae and ordered to leave the country by February 8 at the latest are stationed at the Russian embassy in Austria, while two others work at the Russian mission to the United Nations in Vienna, the ministry said in a statement."Two diplomats at the Russian embassy acted contrary to their diplomatic status. They were therefore declared personae non gratae in accordance with Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the ministry said.

Two workers in the Russian mission to the UN acted in a way that was not in accordance with the host country agreement between the UN and Austria, she added. The ministry did not say specifically what either diplomat did, and a spokeswoman declined to comment.

Vienna is a major diplomatic center, home to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and UN organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Larger countries such as Russia and the United States often have separate ambassadors to Austria, the OSCE and UN organizations, each managing an embassy or permanent mission.

The city, which was divided into Allied sectors after World War II, also has a long-standing reputation as a den of spies. A large diplomatic presence offers the possibility of placing secret service agents there under diplomatic cover, which gives them diplomatic immunity.