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Russia has promised to retaliate for Canada’s “hostile actions” after a Russian delegation was blocked from attending an international conference in Ottawa this week aimed at stopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

The Conservative government was not immediately commenting on its decision to bar the two Russian officials, which Russia’s foreign affairs ministry described as “an openly unfriendly move that contradicts the normal practice of multilateral events.”

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But it represents the latest salvo in the ongoing war of words between Canada and Russia, which has seen relations between the two countries plummet to levels not seen since the Cold War.

The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) was established in May 2003 in response to growing concerns about the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. A key part of it is an annual conference where officials from 21 countries gather to discuss latest trends and efforts to combat WMD proliferation.