The Russian Embassy’s Submission On The State Of The Russo-British Relashionship (Brief résumé)
- Our bilateral relationship is held, in fact, hostage to the vicissitudes of Ukrainian domestic politics. Besides, the way HMG decided to dispose of the ‘Litvinenko case’ puts even the limited progress of the past 6 months at risk.
- The British Side froze all the mechanisms of our bilateral political dialogue and Inter-Governmental Cooperation in March 2014 in response to our differences over the Ukrainian crisis. - The methods of integration of Ukraine with the EU (lack of transparency and open debate, including on the consequences of the DCFTA, unwillingness to coordinate with Russia) led to destabilisation of Ukraine and a unilateral response to a unilateral action. ‘Expansionism on the cheap’. Fatal link with Nato membership. - Outside the ‘Normandy Four’ and with no stake in the political solution, Britain became the most vociferous critic of Russia and supporter of Kiev’s flawed strategy of military solution. - Our differences over the problems of the Middle East and North Africa are due, in our view, to Britain’s trust in reordering the region through regime change (Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Syria) and encouragement of ‘democratic revolutions’, rather than evolution and developmental transformation of those societies. - The trade and economic ties are in decline partly due to the Western sanctions against Russia over Ukraine and the overall climate of the political relationship. - The trade and cooperation in agriculture wiped out by Russia’s retaliatory measures. - The cultural ties are a bright page, as always, in bad times, key to maintaining people-to-people contacts and mutual trust between the Russians and the British. - Suspension of the Coroner’s inquest and the decision in July 2015 to hold a semi-secret public inquiry instead was a strategic blunder. The case can only be closed through an open court of law and due process with all the evidence subject to adversary scrutiny. The January report a ‘whitewash’ of the British special services unwilling to come clean on their work against Russia ever since we fell out over the War in Iraq. - The way visas are issued to personel of our official missions in Britain is a major irritant in our relationship, especially against the background of the bilateral agenda dominated by minor technical issues. Toughening of the respective British practice in late 2015 in contravention of Britain’s international obligations. Huge potential for further deterioration. - The bigger picture, i.e. the state of the Russia – the West relations, dominated by the decisions made by the West immediately after the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union. The ‘victory in the Cold War’ euphoria and ‘end of history’ mentality led to expansion of Nato towards Russia’s border. The lack of formal settlement after the Cold War end prevented establishment of a genuine region-wide system of collective security ensuring its indivisibility in the Euro-Atlantic. - Now all of us paying the price. Restoration of Europe’s political unity key to our competitiveness in the radically transformed global environment. History forgotten and Russia’s domestic development distorted by the Western policies.
Question: Has there been a response from the British authorities with regard to the information sent to the Embassy by Russian citizens experiencing biased approach from the UK Border Force officials upon arrival in the UK?
Answer: In response to the Embassy’s requests to the British Side to put an end to the practice of excessive and inappropriate security measures against Russian citizens (including minors) at the border in the points of entry to the UK, the UK Home Office
has issued a formal reply. A letter printed on the Home Office form addressed to the Embassy consists of three sentences, does not contain any signature and is in essence a runaround reply reduced to “routine checks”. This demonstrates the lack of responsibility and ignorance towards serious concerns of the Russian Side and ordinary citizens travelling to the UK.
Question: Are there any changes in the UK position on cooperation with the Russian Federation on the investigation of the murder of Nikolay Glushkov and the attempt on the lives of the Skripals? What is the current status of the requests by the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia received by the UK Home Office?
Answer: The British Side continues to keep deafening silence and has not provided answers neither to the Prosecutor General’s Office, nor the Embassy on the status of the official requests for legal assistance on the criminal cases initiated in Russia after the murder and the attempt of murder of Russian citizens on the British soil.
Clearly, the UK is showing zero interest in cooperating on the investigation of these high-profile cases. These actions undermine law enforcement and other legal procedures aimed at establishing the truth and justice.
Q: What is your reaction to the article by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in the “Sun” newspaper, where he claims UK chose not to boycott World Cup in order not to be unfair towards players and sport fans, because they “have a dispute solely with the Government of Russia”?
A: We took note of the abovementioned article. We agree that politics should not intervene in affairs of international sport. And Mr Foreign Secretary is right claiming that British fans in Russia have no reasons to feel threatened. Russian authorities, in cooperation with foreign partners, took every precaution to ensure maximum comfort and security for all World Cup guests. We are happy to have over 600 000 guests from practically every country in the world, including 10 000 British fans.
Friends, I welcome all guests to the legendary Moscow stadium Luzhniki, everyone gathered in the numerous fan zones of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, and those watching us on television or online. I congratulate you – the entire large, multinational, tightly-knit international football family – on the start of the top tournament on the planet!
Q: What is your reaction to the G7 Communiqué, where Russia is again accused of having poisoned Sergei and Yulia Skripal?
A: Just as in the case of the G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in April, we have again witnessed unfounded allegations against Russia, not supported by any evidence.
The British authorities continue to rely on allies’ “solidarity” while offering their partners nothing but assertions that there is “no other plausible explanation” of the incident except that Russia is responsible.
Q: Today marks three months since the death of Nikolay Glushkov. How would you comment on the course of the investigation by the British authorities of this case?
A: We have to note that the British authorities are still refusing us cooperation on the investigation of the death on the British soil of ex-Deputy Director General of “Aeroflot” Nikolay Glushkov that occurred on 12 March.
On June 1, 2018 the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of Belarus on certain issues related to the entry of foreign citizens and stateless persons to international sports competitions came into force. The document in particular regulates the entry procedure for certain categories of foreign citizens into the territory of the Union State during the preparations and hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Agreement provides for visa-free entry into the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus for the holders of spectator identity cards (fan passports or FAN IDs) or information about them provided they have an authentic ID. The said citizens can also cross the Russia-Belarus border if they travel via the following motor roads: M-1, P-23, A-240 and following railway routes Vitebsk-Pskov, Minsk-Smolensk, Gomel-Bryansk.
Question: How would you comment on the new bill introduced by the British government to give police new powers to investigate all forms of “hostile state activity” and to stop, question, search and detain individuals at the UK border to determine whether they appear to be a person who is, or has been, engaged in hostile activity?
Answer: We do not have the opportunity to review and assess the whole text of the bill. Meanwhile, it is unclear from publicly available information, how these new sweeping powers of British law enforcement, border and customs agencies will be applied in practice. In regard to whom and how will they be used? Who and how will examine the level of “hostility” of foreign States’ activities?
Q.: How would you comment on the contents of the report by the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee expressing concerns over safety and security of British fans at the 2018 World Cup in Russia?
A.: Unfortunately, this report is another attempt to fuel anti-Russian sentiments on the eve of the World Cup despite the fact that the British police and the FCO have given positive assessments of their cooperation with Russia’s law enforcement authorities on safety and security issues at the World Cup.
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