Moscow Reveals London Tried to Get Rid of Russian Diplomats for Years, Vows Response to 'Hostile Actions' by UK

TEHRAN (defapress)- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Moscow is currently considering retaliatory measures against London and will announce them in the near future.

News ID: 69218

Date: 15 March 2018 - 14:40

The UK refuses to cooperate with Russia on the Former GRU Colonel Sergey Skripal case, though this is stipulated by relevant convention, Zakharova stated, adding that Moscow has sent London four diplomatic notes to hold talks on the issue but received only formal replies, RIA Novosti reported.

"I would like to inform you that several diplomatic notes have been sent to the Foreign Office via the Russian embassy in the United Kingdom. They sought to launch an active dialogue with the officials in London… We received meaningless formal replies," Zakharova said, stressing that a total of four notes had been sent.

Speaking further, the Spokeswoman has reiterated Moscow's call on London to provide access to the documents related to the "incident". The official noted that so far London had refused to provide any sufficient information on the issue, including samples of the nerve agent.

The Foreign Ministry's Spokeswoman said that the UK had been "pushing" Russian diplomats out of the country by visa mechanisms for several years.

Thus, Moscow has no doubts that London has launched an anti-Russian campaign, Zakharova stressed, adding that Britain's attitude showed that the "Russophobic hysteria has reached a new level."

"The head of a state with nuclear weapons groundlessly accuses another country of aggression… and puts forward an ultimatum on a 24-hour deadline… This reminds a talk show," the Spokeswoman noted.

Zakharova declined to respond on whether there was a chance for the normalization of ties with Britain.

The statement came a day after UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced the largest expulsion of Russian diplomats from the UK since the Cold War over the alleged "attack" on a former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal.

Russian officials have rejected London's claims that Moscow was in any way involved in the incident.

Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia on March 4 suffered from the effects of an unidentified nerve agent. They were found in an unconscious condition on a bench near The Maltings shopping center in Salisbury. Both are now in hospital in critical condition.

In 2004, Skripal was arrested by the federal security service FSB, charged, tried and convicted of high treason and stripped of all ranks and awards. In 2010 he was handed over to the United States under an arrangement to exchange persons arrested on spying charges. Later in the same year Skripal settled in Britain.