ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE
A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing.
The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident.
By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK.
Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” (source):
During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specifically the need to ensure immunity of foreign missions and their personnel. In this case, we will address the situation in the UK.Over the last few years, Russia has repeatedly urged the Foreign Office to take comprehensive measures to ensure safety of our diplomatic property in the UK. We had compelling reasons for these actions: I am referring to the level of crime in the UK and the level of terrorist threat in London. But there was never a reply, let alone action, in response to the numerous notes and requests we sent to the British foreign policy agency. I regret to say that all our fears, of which we informed our British colleagues, have eventually come true. The other day, an unknown person trespassed on the premises of the Russian Trade Mission in London, causing damage to its real estate and fleet of vehicles.
Russian diplomats immediately contacted the British side and urged it to perform their mission security commitments under the Vienna Convention and initiate an investigation.
The Russian Embassy received a reply from the London Police (hopefully, it is not the last) to the effect that the case “had no prospect” and was likely to be dismissed, despite the Russian Embassy providing CCTV footage and other ample evidence that can and do shed light on what took place.
How can this be? After all, slightly more than a year ago, it took the British Government just a few days to come up with its “highly likely” charges against this country, which, they said, had committed a chemical attack involving the use of chemical weapons, had made an attempt on the life of [British]citizens, and so on and so forth. I mean, just a couple of days was enough to crack the so-called “Salisbury case,” while what we see as a British provoked real incident has no prospect, from the British point of view. This is absurd!
Presenting global charges that entailed global consequences, including expulsions of diplomats throughout the world within a week, is realistic, but finding a trespasser, who penetrated the Embassy perimeter, given that there is CCTV footage that has been provided, is a mission impossible. In all evidence, it is equally impossible to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of Russian citizen Nikolai Glushkov, who passed away more than a year and a half ago. This shows the true nature of the British investigative agencies – ruthless and discriminative.
To reiterate: We hope to receive from the British side a competent and responsible reply regarding this matter.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete