Oleg Salagay, Russia’s Deputy Health Minister, was denied entry at Copenhagen airport while en route to a World Health Organization conference in Denmark. The Russian embassy in Denmark communicated the incident, stating, “O. Salagay, State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Health, was supposed to attend this event. However, he was refused entry to Denmark at Kastrup airport.” The embassy went on to condemn the incident and called for an official apology from Danish authorities.
The Danish foreign ministry has launched an investigation into the matter, as reported by local media sources. The WHO conference, centered on the theme of “applying behavioral and cultural insights for health,” is scheduled to be held in Copenhagen from September 12 to 14.
This episode follows an ongoing dispute between Denmark and Russia concerning the staffing levels at each other’s embassies. During visa negotiations for staff members of Denmark’s embassy in Moscow, Russia repeatedly submitted visa requests to Copenhagen, seeking to augment the Russian embassy with what Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen referred to as “undeclared agents” or spies. This development was disclosed earlier this month to the news outlet DR.
Minister Rasmussen further disclosed that the Russian embassy in Copenhagen has been directed to reduce its personnel to five diplomats and 20 administrative and technical staff by September 29, aligning it with the staffing levels of the Danish embassy in Moscow.
