85 weeks have passed since the Salisbury incident - no credible information or response from the British authoritie
On 4 March 2018 the Russian citizens Sergei and Yulia Skripal were reportedly poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury and were taken to Salisbury District Hospital under obscure circumstances. The UK government accused the Russian state of being responsible for the poisoning. No proofs have been provided.
For more than half a year our nationals have been kept in isolation and under full control of the British authorities. They remain out of the public eye in an unknown location, are deprived of the right to communicate with their relatives, friends, journalists and Russian officials, may not move freely. For its part, Russia has been open and willing to cooperate within the numerous available frameworks.
The following requests and proposals have been sent to the British authorities:
- A proposal to launch a joint investigation into the incident;
- Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office request for legal assistance in the matter of Sergei and Yulia Skripal made within the framework of the investigation of the criminal case opened in Russia (has been denied under the pretext of “national security interests”);
- Embassy’s numerous requests for consular access to the Russian citizens Sergei and Yulia Skripal in conformity with the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the bilateral 1965 Consular Convention (have been continuously denied under false pretext);
- Russia’s proposal to establish cooperation under paragraph 2, Article IX of the Chemical Weapons Convention (instead of direct collaboration, the British authorities continue to manipulate CWC provisions by resorting exclusively to the obscure procedure of the so-called technical assistance provided by OPCW Secretariat in a non-transparent manner);
- More than 70 Notes Verbales and letters sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Home Office and police with dozens of questions concerning the whereabouts of the Russian citizens, symptoms of their poisoning, methods of medical treatment applied to them, course of the police investigation, samples of the biomaterials and chemical agent allegedly used in Salisbury, and evidence, which could help establish the truth.
All these make us believe that the incident in Salisbury is a provocation of the British secret services, and the UK authorities are interested using it in whipping up an anti-Russian hysteria for the sake of their internal political interests, rather than in establishing the truth through an impartial and credible investigation.
British authorities are thus in a gross violation of international law and UK’s obligations under the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and the bilateral 1965 Consular Convention, the 1959 European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1950 Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We have had a constructive and substantive meeting with Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Relations, Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein. Our countries are linked by long-standing and strong bonds of friendship. Russia and Iraq signed an agreement establishing diplomatic relations 76 years ago, and we have been active in various areas of cooperation since then, primarily in the fuel and energy and military-technical fields. Tomorrow, the Minister will have an opportunity to discuss ways to further deepen our economic cooperation in more detail with his colleague, Russian co-chair of the Russian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov.
Question: The coronavirus pandemic has added so many new elements to our lives that we can see this as the emergence of a new world order. Is the new world order still based on the priority of international law when it comes to interstate relations?
Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, the pandemic has had a major impact on all aspects of our lives, including our work and everyday life, but there are principles which Russia always tries to respect. The fact that President Vladimir Putin has received letters of credence from newly appointed ambassadors at an in-person ceremony in the Kremlin, even though there were some adjustments due to security reasons, is proof of our commitment to traditions. This is not just a symbolic gesture. It is very important to respect diplomatic traditions, which are not so much matters of protocol but mutual respect, consideration for each other’s interests and a striving to balance these interests in all cases.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, friends,
First of all, I would like to sincerely thank all the participants in the Nuremberg Lessons international forum: politicians and government officials, researchers and experts, legal experts, representatives of the museum community and NGOs. I know that you have come from across Russia, as well as from many other countries.
Question: Mr President, a week has passed since the signing of a most important statement by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. How do you assess the implementation now? What is successful? What might still be a problem? Most importantly, do you think this agreement will make it possible to sever the tight knot and resolve this very long-term and sensitive issue where each side has its own truth, as you put it yourself?
The sequence of events in the story of the alleged poisoning of blogger Alexey Navalny is quite unusual; it is also symptomatic how it has become the target for never-ending speculations in the West.
We are still waiting for the German authorities to provide a substantive reply to the official Russian addresses of August 27 and September 14, 24 and 28, 2020, requesting legal assistance from the concerned German agencies within the framework of the pre-investigative probe conducted by the Russian Ministry of the Interior into the reasons for the emergency hospital admission of blogger Alexey Navalny in Omsk on August 20, 2020. Our German colleagues have been using a variety of reasons and far-fetched explanations to deliberately delay taking action on our requests contrary to their own promises and commitments in the sphere of international legal cooperation.
German Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Andrea Sasse’s comment of October 26 has come to our attention. The comment followed President Putin’s statement on additional steps to de-escalate the situation in Europe in the wake of the termination of the INF Treaty, in which she expressed solidarity with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s earlier remark that Russia’s moratorium on deploying ground-based short- and intermediate-range missiles allegedly carries little credibility since Russia “itself withdrew from the INF Treaty.”
The Russian Federation continues to believe that the INF Treaty was an important element of the architecture ensuring international security and strategic stability. The Treaty played the most particular role in maintaining predictability and restraint in the missile sphere in the European area.
We consider the US withdrawal from the INF Treaty, that entailed its termination, as a serious mistake, which increases the risks of triggering a missile arms race, rise of confrontational potential and sliding into an uncontrolled escalation. Given persistent tensions between Russia and NATO, new threats to the European security are evident.
Question: It is four years since your previous visit, what is the significance of your trip to Athens this time? Do you think that the 200th anniversary of the Greek War of Independence celebrations is a reason for deepening Russian-Greek relations, and if so, in which spheres?
Sergey Lavrov: I am delighted to have this opportunity to return to Greece again. My previous working visit to Athens in 2016 took place during the implementation of an unprecedented joint project, a cross-cultural year between Russia and Greece, the main event of which was a visit by President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
The US administration has once again made news with another anti-Russia attack, accusing our government agencies of malicious activities in the field of information and communications technology.
Tweet Follow @russianembassy