Russian envoy responds to UK isolation call

Dar es Salaam. It is a diplomatic spat that is threatening to divide the world with counter actions coming from both sides.

Five days after British envoy in Dar es Salaam drummed up international support against Russia’s involvement in the poisoning allegations of Sergei Skripal, Russian mission here has responded, claiming that it was only an attempt to isolate Russia.

Speaking exclusively to The Citizen on the sidelines of the Russian elections in Dar es Salaam, the Russian ambassador to Tanzania, Mr Yuri Popov said the claim that his country was involved in the Salisbury crime were unfounded.

The envoy said the action from London was rather distasteful because they are trying to blame everything evil on his country.

“The attempt to blame Russia for the Salisbury crime is baseless and more of wishful thinking. I don’t find any reason whatsoever why Moscow should try to murder a man who had already served his jail term in Russia,” said Mr Popov.

He said Mr Sergei Skripal was in 2006 found guilty of high treason and jailed for 13 years, and sent to a penal colony following a two-year internment while awaiting for trial.

According to the envoy, Mr Skripal was, however, unexpectedly pardoned and released as part of a spy-swap to the West in exchange for 10 sleeper agents.

Mr Popov said just like any other crime there has to be a motive behind and that he does not see any such motive from his country to poison Mr Skripal because he posed no threat to Russia.

He said the victim was long dealt with and therefore was irrelevant. “The timing of the crime is rather senseless since we are now holding elections plus the fact that we wouldn’t want to put in jeopardy the World Cup, which will be held in three months time,” he said.

Mr Popov instead said he has every reason to believe that the British government has a hand in the crime. “The British government is still sulking from the fact that the World Cup went to Russia. This is why they are trying to do everything to isolate Russia as the perpetrator of some fantasy crime,” he said.

In his assessment, the British are playing a losing game by trying to blame others for their own actions.

“He who alleges bears the burden of proof. They are trying to enlist international collective opinion against Russia so that they do not stand alone in their futile attempt to blackmail my country,” he said.

According to him, it would not be surprising to see the British High Commission in Tanzania rally other Western embassies to collectively issue a statement blaming Russia for this crime.

“Russia continues to hold its ground that the UK’s accusations should go through the organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, something that UK has not done.”

In a related development, Russian authorities in Moscow over the weekend said it was expelling 23 diplomats, giving them a week to get out - exactly as Theresa May had done when she kicked out Russian diplomats.

But the closure of the British Council in Moscow and cancellation of permission for a consulate in St Petersburg further marked an escalation of the situation that now seems to be a head spinner.

According to The Guardian UK, EU officials have warned privately that the bloc’s existing consensus on further sanctions against Russia has already been cracking, and it may be impossible to forge collective agreement on new measures.

One official said the best that may happen is that the EU resolves to stick to its existing sanctions position rather than see it diluted.