Copenhagen, 13 April 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Norway expelled 15 employees of the Russian secret service, saying they carried out activities incompatible with their diplomatic status, Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said on Thursday.

"Russia currently poses the greatest intelligence threat to Norway," the minister said in a statement.

"We take this very seriously and are now implementing measures to counter Russian intelligence activities in our country. We will not allow Russian intelligence officers to operate under diplomatic cover in Norway," she added.

The diplomats must leave Norway within a short period of time. Visa applications from intelligence officers would be rejected, according to the ministry.

Three Russian intelligence officers were already kicked out of Norway in April of last year.

"I would like to emphasize that Norway is seeking to maintain normal diplomatic relations with Russia, and that Russian diplomats are welcome in Norway. The action we have taken today is targeted towards reducing undesirable intelligence activities," Huitfeld said.

"We will not accept that diplomatic missions are misused for the purposes of carrying out covert intelligence activities," she added.