MINSK, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The Belarusian government has asked Latvian ambassador to leave Belarus within 24 hours, Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei told local media on Monday.
Latvian ambassador to Belarus Einars Semanis has been asked to leave Belarus within 24 hours, Makei said.
The Belarusian side also asked the entire diplomatic and administrative staff of the embassy to leave Belarus within 48 hours except one member of administrative staff who could stay to care for the building, the minister said.
The Latvian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry in connection with the insult of the national flag of Belarus in Riga, Makei said.
The minister said the Belarusian side demanded that the Latvian authorities conduct an investigation, apologize and return the national flag of Belarus to its place.
The Latvian capital of Riga is hosting the IIHF World Championship and has the flags of the participating countries raised in the city center. On May 24, mayor of Riga Martins Stakis and Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics replaced the Belarusian national flag with an opposition flag, according to media reports.
"We cannot leave such provocative actions unanswered," Makei said. Enditem
