Russian diplomat Vladimir Kozin has denied reports that he has been recalled from Helsinki to Moscow over comments that he made about possible Finnish membership in NATO.
Kozin said in a message sent to the Finnish News Agency STT that he is still working in Finland, and that he will stay here through the end of his assigned term.
Last week Kozin commented in an interview with the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) that Finland should not join NATO. Ambassador Aleksandr Rumyanchev said after the interview that Kozin was expressing his personal opinions.
On Thursday last week the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs was informed that Kozin was being recalled to Moscow. The Embassy called Markus Lyra, Undersecretary of State at the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, to inform him that Kozin would leave Finland within a month.
Lyra said that the message stated quite clearly that Vladimir Kozin would return home ahead of schedule. Kozin was originally scheduled to return to Moscow at the end of the year.
