Qatar expelled a Russian diplomat yesterday, one month after he and two other Russians were detained in Doha over the assassination of Chechen leader Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev in the Gulf state. His expulsion was an apparent swap for two Qataris held in Moscow in retaliation for the arrest of the three Russians, including First Secretary Alexander Fetisov, diplomats said. âThe Foreign Ministry sent an official memorandum on Tuesday to the Russian Embassy in Doha and informed (it) that First Secretary Alexander Fetisov was not desired and had 24 hours to leave the country,â a Qatari Foreign Ministry official said. The official, quoted by the Qatar News Agency (QNA), gave no further details and the Russian Embassy declined to comment. News of the diplomatâs return to Moscow came hours after Russia freed two Qatari wrestlers. It had arrested them the day after the two Russians in Qatari custody were charged with involvement in the car blast that killed Yandarbiyev.
| Toldja so. Standard procedure. |
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