The Russian Consulate in Edinburgh has condemned the Scottish Government for supporting the “unprecedented and flagrant provocation” by the British Government which has blamed the Russian state for the poisoning of Sergey Skirpal and his daughter in Salisbury.
While welcoming “the warm messages of support” from the Scottish people, the consulate general insisted the British Government was seeking to use the incident to “seriously aggravate relations further in pursuit of its unseemly political ends”.
The consulate in Edinburgh said the Scottish authorities had "unequivocally" supported a "hostile standoff" with Russia.
Russia denies being behind an assassination attempt on ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has backed the UK government's decision to expel Russian diplomats.
READ MORE: Tories warned Scots firms busting Russia sanctions
Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia
Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain critically ill in hospital after being exposed to a "Novichok" nerve agent, a type developed by the former Soviet Union.
In a statement released last night on Twitter, the Russian Consulate in Edinburgh said: “Although the Salisbury incident occurred outside of our Consular district its influence on bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and Russia is so immense, that we cannot remain indifferent.
“First of all, the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Edinburgh is deeply saddened by this incident and wishes a rapid and compete recovery to all its victims, including Sergeant Nick Bailey.
“Our sympathies are with the local community and all innocent civilians affected by this tragic event.
READ MORE: Push for emergency Holyrood debate on Russia
President Putin was re-elected this week
“As previously stated by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the March 14th statement made by British Prime Minister Theresa May in Parliament on measures to “punish” Russia, under the false pretext of its alleged involvement in the poisoning of Sergey Skirpal and his daughter constitutes an unprecedented and flagrant provocation that undermines the foundations of normal dialogue between our countries.
“It is absolutely unacceptable and unworthy of the British Government to seek to seriously aggravate relations further in pursuit of its unseemly political ends, having announced a whole series of hostile measures, including the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from the country.
“Instead of completing its own investigation and using established international formats and instruments, including those within the framework of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons – in which Russia was prepared to co-operate – the British Government opted for confrontation.
“Obviously, by investigating this incident in a unilateral, non-transparent way, the British Government is again seeking to launch a groundless anti-Russian campaign campaign.
“It is with much regret we have to note that the Scottish authorities have unequivocally provided their full support to this hostile standoff with Russia “We are receiving warm messages of support and consideration from many residents of Scotland and we want to thank them all profoundly.”
READ MORE: What to expect from a resurgent Russia
Officers don anti-contamination suits in Salisbury
Nicola Sturgeon discussed the Salisbury attack with Theresa May when she travelled to London last week.
Following the meeting she said participants had been "united in our condemnation of Russia's actions".
She added: "I expressed my support for the initial steps that the prime minster has outlined in the House of Commons this afternoon.
"Obviously as legislation is brought forward we will scrutinise that carefully.
"But it is very clear that Russia cannot be permitted to unlawfully kill or attempt to kill people on the streets of the UK with impunity.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel