Slovenian embassy in Kiev removes flag due to similarity with Russia's

Ljubljana: The Slovenian embassy in Kiev, which reopened earlier this week, has removed its flag because of its similarity with the Russian one, a representative in Ukraine said.

Slovenian and Russian flags carry the same colours in the same order: white, blue and red, with the former bearing the country's coat of arms which consists of stylised symbols of stars, mountains, sea and rivers, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We raised the Slovenian and the European flags with pride when we returned to Kiev," Bostjan Lesjak, Slovenian charge d'affaires in Kiev, told TV Slovenia.

"But in the morning, representatives of the (Ukrainian) national guard, followed by representatives of the police, visited me and very politely asked me if we could temporary remove the Slovenian flag because it is too similar to the Russian one," he said.

Slovenia reopened its embassy in Kiev on Monday, about a month after the country evacuated all its diplomats from Ukraine on February 26, two days after Russia launched its invasion.

Slovenian Ambassador to Ukraine Tomaz Mencin continues to work from the Polish city of Rzeszow which lies close to the Ukrainian border.

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