On Monday, the Republic of Azerbaijan declared two French embassy employees as “personae non-gratae.” A press release from the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained that the employees had engaged in activities “incompatible with their diplomatic status,” which contravenes the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Consequently, the two employees were given 48 hours to leave the country.
According to the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a host country may at any time decide to expel a foreign diplomatic staff member, and is not required to provide a reason for the decision. This favoritism towards expulsion is because foreign diplomatic staff are typically exempt from civil and criminal prosecution by the host state. If a staff member fails to depart within the designated timeframe, they may be reclassified as non-diplomatic and face action for the alleged conduct.
Countries often resort to expelling diplomatic staff during political tensions or conflicts. For instance, Slovakia recently expelled Russian diplomats without providing an official explanation. The United States, Germany, France, and Italy have also expelled significant numbers of Russian diplomats in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The French mission to Azerbaijan, to date, has not issued any public comments regarding the expulsion of its embassy staff.
For further details, please visit the original article here.