EMBASSY INFORMS
I would like to join our colleagues in expressing condolences to the family of Joseph Stone. His death is a heavy loss for his family and friends and a severe blow to the peace-making efforts of the Special Monitoring Mission and the OSCE. We hope the truth in this case will be established soon and those responsible will be held accountable. Looking back it is impossible not to see all the missed opportunities. The legacy of the Cold War – primarily mental and political – has not been overcome. Western countries have proved to be unprepared for equitable cooperation with Russia in areas of common interest and in the construction of a European security architecture without dividing lines. The OSCE has not been institutionalised. The corner stone of European security – arms control in Europe – has been destroyed for purely political reasons. Question: US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently commented on a change in Russia\'s position on North Korea. Did Moscow really change its policy? Is Russia ready to try to influence Pyongyang, possibly together with China, to make it stop the moves that violate the UN Security Council resolutions?
Answer: Russia\'s principled position on ways to resolve the North Korean issues remains unchanged and consistent. We support a comprehensive resolution of all the problems on the Korean Peninsula exclusively by peaceful means, through dialogue of all parties involved without preconditions, and above all, the main antagonists – the United States and North Korea. It is our strong conviction that any military provocations, any saber rattling, bellicose statements, from whatever party, only exacerbate the situation, bringing it to a critical point that might be followed by a slide towards a large-scale armed conflict, even with the likelihood of using nuclear weapons. On 26 June the winners of childrens drawing and essay competition of the Russian Heritage committee, their parents and participants of the Russian Heritage scientific conference (held 27 June) visited the Russian Embassy in London. They had an opportunity to see the historic building and meet the Ambassador Dr. Alexander Yakovenko, after which the competition winners were presented their awards. As of June 22, 2017, the General Directorate of Nationality, Borders and Expatriates Affairs of Qatar’s Ministry of Interior has added the Russian Federation to the list of countries whose citizens can have a one-month tourist visa issued at Hamad International Airport in Doha. Q: Can you comment on the incident with the British fans, who were found in possession of flares?
A: According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tatarstan, a group of British nationals, who arrived in the Russian city of Kazan for 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup game between Chile and Germany teams, were found in possession of 61 flares. It is well known that possession of such pyrotechnic devices for use in sports venues is prohibited. We are pleased to note the generally steady positive momentum in the way the military and political situation in the Syrian Arab Republic has been developing since the May 4 signing of the Memorandum on the Establishment of De-Escalation Zones in Syria by the guarantor countries of the Astana process – Russia, Turkey and Iran. Vladimir Putin met at the Kremlin with President of the Federative Republic of Brazil Michel Temer, who is in Russia on an official visit. On June 20, Washington announced plans to significantly expand US sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities. It was clearly a political gift to President Poroshenko who was in the United States at that time. The sanctions were imposed under the old pretext of events in Ukraine, which is clearly inadequate, especially since the Americans are apparently holding the Moscow Bike Centre and a well-known catering company, to name a few, accountable for the developments in Ukraine. In their absurdity, such decisions can be compared only with the US decision last year to add the Chaika swimming pool in Moscow to the sanctions lists (its location next to the Krymsky Bridge across the Moscow River was apparently the pretext). We have had very productive talks with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian. They were held in accordance with the agreements reached between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of France Emmanuel Macron during their recent meeting in Versailles. This allowed us to hold substantive and in-depth discussions of a wide range of issues and to outline the priorities of our cooperation, including that of a schedule of meetings at various levels. The BRICS countries are at one on the necessity of enhancing the effectiveness of counterterrorism efforts. We have a Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, which has held two meetings and has a considerable potential. These efforts should be taken in an interdepartmental format. We have common views on the need to involve foreign policy departments and the concerned counterterrorism agencies, prevent terrorist attacks and exchange related information.
The annual special Direct Line with President Putin was broadcast live by Channel One, Rossiya 1, Rossiya 24 and Russia Today TV channels, and Mayak, Vesti FM and Radio Rossii radio stations. The exhibition "Hope, Tragedy, Myths" gives an excellent insight into the tragic events of 1917: why the revolution started, how it unfolded and evolved into the civil war. It explores the ideas behind the conflict and gives a comprehensive and accurate image.
The exhibition gives a unique opportunity to see original documents related to the key personalities of the Russian history, and not only politicians - the section telling the story of the Russian emigration has valuable documents on Russian literature history. On 12 June 2017 a diplomatic reception on the occasion of the National Day of Russia was hosted by the Consulate General of Russia in Edinburgh. The event was attended by the representatives of the Scottish Parliament and Government, consular corps, local authorities, business, academia and Russian community, as well as the Veterans of the Great Patriotic War and the Arctic Convoys.
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