Bulgaria expels 70 Russian embassy staff, foreign ministry says

SOFIA - Bulgaria's foreign ministry on Tuesday said it had asked Russia to withdraw 70 diplomatic staff by July 3, saying Russia should decrease the size of its embassy to match the Bulgarian representation in Moscow.

"The first reason is reciprocity... Secondly, because of the activity carried out by Russian officials, which was determined by the competent Bulgarian authorities to be incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the ministry said in a statement.