Ethiopia orders six Norwegian diplomats to leave country

ADDIS ABABA: Ethiopia has ordered six Norwegian diplomats to leave the country by September 15, expressing “dissatisfaction” with Norway’s conduct in the Horn of Africa region, the Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister said on Monday.

Ethiopia asked Norway to withdraw the six diplomats on August 15 and since then, Norwegian officials have tried to get their Ethiopian counterparts to clarify the reasons for the order, but with no success, Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said.

Ethiopian Foreign Ministry spokesman Wahide Belay said he was not aware that Norwegian diplomats had been asked to leave the country. “I haven’t heard about this, that they were told to leave,” Wahide told The Associated Press.

Ethiopia, Tuesday, AP