The Greek Foreign Ministry has barred Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko, a high-level official of the Russian government, from coming to Greece.
A Turkish newspaper of Thrace that published the incident refered to a “serious diplomatic crisis between Athens and Moscow.”
According to the newspaper, the Greek Foreign Ministry has announced that Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko is a “persona non grata”, a decision taken under the sanctions implemented by the U.S. and the European Uninon against Russia.
Answering to questions by members of the opposition party SYRIZA, the Deputy Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas clearly accepted that “the Greek borders are closed for Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko.”
Valentina Ivanovna Matviyenko is the highest-ranking female politician in Russia, the former governor of Saint Petersburg and the current Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. She is considered one of the most powerful members of the Russian government and close aide to Vladimir Putin.