The Greek Foreign Ministry said that Maria Zakharova's comment on the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Athens was a sign of disrespect for the country. "The statement of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia is a typical example of disrespect for a third country and shows a lack of understanding of the modern world in which states, regardless of their size, are independent and can conduct an independent, multifaceted and democratic foreign policy," the official statement on the website The Greek Foreign Ministry. It is alleged that such "negative thinking made the expelled Russians act in such a way that this led to their deportation from Greece or a ban on entry into the country.

The Greek diplomacy stressed that Athens timely informed the Russian authorities about the reasons for the expulsion of diplomats, while in Russia "they know very well what their people are doing". The official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova was earlier indignant with actions of the Great Britain and the USA which put pressure on Greece, reminds RIA FAN. In July, Greece expelled two Russian diplomats and banned the entry of two more citizens of the Russian Federation.