Russia declared an official from the Slovak Embassy in Russia persona non grata on Tuesday and ordered the official to leave Russia within the next 72 hours, as an apparent retaliation against Slovakia's decision to expel a Russian diplomat last week.  

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Slovak Ambassador to Russia Augustin Cisar had been summoned earlier Tuesday to its headquarters.

The ambassador was told that "for activities incompatible with the status of a diplomat and damaging to the interests of the Russian Federation, a member of staff of the Slovak Embassy has been declared persona non grata and must leave the Russian Federation within 72 hours," the statement said.

The statement did not elaborate on what post the Russian diplomat held.

Slovakia last Tuesday made a decision to expel a Russian diplomat for "activities incompatible with the status of a member of the diplomatic staff of the embassy." Russia on the next day warned of corresponding response to Slovakia's move.

Russia expelled in March and April three Lithuanian, two Estonian and one Latvian diplomats in response to the expulsion of Russian diplomats by the three Baltic countries in February, March and April.

(Xinhua News Agency May 19, 2004)