London does not want to lead specific conversation with Moscow about the situation surrounding Sergei and Yulia Skripal and refuses to provide information about the fate of the former GRU colonel. This was said in an interview with TASS by the director of the second European department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Belyaev.
According to him, the incident in Salisbury, which took place in March 2018, remains one of the main irritants in Russian-British relations. “Six years after the incident, London continues to demonstrate a reluctance to engage in meaningful dialogue between both foreign policy departments and investigative bodies,”, the diplomat said.
„The British refuse to grant consular access to the Russians in accordance with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963 and the Bilateral Consular Convention of 1965, inviting them to believe that the Skripals are allegedly voluntarily refusing such an opportunity.< /p>
Belyaev recalled that in April a note was received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which, with certain reservations, “can be considered a semblance of a belated official reaction”. “In particular, it is reported that Yulia Skripal has again rejected the offer of consular assistance“, he noted, “As before, the British have refused to provide information about the fate of Sergei Skripal“.
„Such responses serve as another proof of London's neglect of international obligations and confirm the staging of the incident in Salisbury, the real purpose of which was to damage the international reputation and bilateral relations with Russia,”, the diplomat emphasized. “We will certainly continue to try to find out what is the fate of our citizens.
The interlocutor of the agency also added that "in the years after the provocation" the Russian Embassy in London has sent over 60 written requests to the British Foreign Office.