Canada sees "unacceptable" the presence of one of its diplomats at an event for Russia Day

MADRID, 13 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Canadian Foreign Minister, Melanie Jolie, has described this Monday as "unacceptable" the presence of a Canadian diplomat in the celebrations organized by the Russian Embassy on the occasion of the Russian national holiday.

"It is unacceptable. No Canadian representative was scheduled to attend the event at the Russian Embassy," he asserted, before insisting that Canada "continues to support Ukraine in the fight against the Russian invasion."

His words come after the newspaper 'The Globe and Mail' reported that the deputy director of Protocol of the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Jasmine Heinbecker, had attended the event organized by the Embassy.

The event took place at the headquarters of the diplomatic legation, which is located on what was previously known as Charlotte Street. The name of the road was recently changed as a result of the war. During the event, dozens of people came to the Embassy to protest against the invasion and condemn the actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This same Monday, the Russian ambassador to the country, Oleg Stepanov, has pointed out that Joly's statements about Heinbecker's presence at the event are "unprofessional", according to information from the TASS news agency.

"I don't want to use harsh words, but in my opinion, this is a show of lack of professionalism. Everyone understands that diplomats are there to communicate. I will leave it on the conscience of Canadian politicians," he said.

In this sense, he clarified that the presence of Canadian diplomats at events of the Russian diplomatic mission is "a regular diplomatic practice", although relations between the parties are "frozen".

In addition, he has asked the Canadian authorities to start the dialogue with Russia. "We have never seen Canada as an enemy or a rival," she added.