EMBASSY INFORMS
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Question: How would you comment on the BBC’s publication of 28 June which contains new “information” on the supposed “coordinator” of the Salisbury poisoning? Answer: As previously, this publication is based on reports from the untrustworthy “investigative” group Bellingcat and information provided by anonymous sources to the journalist Mark Urban, which are impossible to verify. This, predictably, raises a number of questions.
Question: What was President Putin’s answer to Mrs May’s question on the Skripal case? He outlined his position in the «Financial Times» interview but what did he say directly to Mrs May? Was she satisfied? Answer: It’s hard to say whether she was. Mrs May had indeed raised the Skripals incident in a rather tough manner, while the Russian President gave a detailed explanation on everything worth explaining. We all know that the British side has so far provided no evidence to support its accusations on the case. Neither to us, nor to their European allies, nor to North American ones. Otherwise, the evidence would have already been somehow made public.
From 1 July 2019, electronic visas are introduced for visiting the Kaliningrad Region of Russia. E-visas may be obtained online at http://electronic-visa.kdmid.ru/klgd_home.html. Nationals of 53 states are eligible for an e-visa. These include all EU member states, except the United Kingdom.
Following the G20 summit, the President of Russia answered journalists’ questions.
June 29, 2019, 10:50, Osaka
The fact that the meeting took place is very positive. There had been a long pause in the dialogue at the highest level between Russia and Britain.
On the eve of the G20 summit, Vladimir Putin spoke with the Financial Times Editor Lionel Barber and Moscow Bureau Chief Henry Foy.
On 26 June Mr Ivan Volodin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Russian Federation in the UK, had a meeting with Ms Stephanie Al-Qaq, the FCO Director for Middle East and North Africa.
Q: How would you assess the position of the UK parliamentarians at the PACE session in Strasbourg regarding the restoration of the rights of the Russian delegation to the Assembly?
A: We have taken note with regret that the majority of the UK delegation members voted against the resolution allowing the Russian MPs to participate in the June session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. It is significant that this unfriendly move was taken against the background of the UK Government representatives’ statements in favour of avoiding Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe.
The International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking is annually marked in Russia on 26 June. Every year a broad range of activities are carried out that day to promote a healthy lifestyle among the population, primarily the youth, under such mottos as “Children against Drugs – I Choose Sport”, “Sport – YES! Drugs – NO!”, etc.
I feel compelled to comment on Benjamin Rhode’s strategic comment “Russia and the Western Balkans” (17 June), in which he alleges that “Russia’s stated policy aim is to prevent the integration of the Western Balkans into the EU”. This presumption reflects a biased and politicized approach to assessing the role of Russia in the region. Mr Rhode has chosen to ignore the fact that Russia has never spoken out, or acted, against the accession of the Balkan States to the EU. What we always emphasise is that those countries must decide for themselves how far the prerequisites required for joining the EU meet their national interests.
The Russian position on that issue, in general, is based on the fact that European integration has not become a panacea for all woes and it could never be. We have some questions regarding certain methods used by Brussels when implementing its strategy in the Balkans. One such question that in many respects remains open is whether the course for European integration pursued by regional States is in harmony with their interests of cooperating with non-EU countries. It is essential for us that the accession of the Balkan States to the EU does not create new dividing lines in Europe. Western Balkan nations must not be forced to confront an artificial choice between the European Union and Russia.
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