New Delhi: Britain on Friday stepped up the attack on Russia over the chemical nerve agent attack on former Russian intelligence operative Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia at Salisbury in the UK, with British high commissioner Dominic Asquith directly accusing Russia of carrying out the attack.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, the British high commissioner said Prime Minister Theresa May would raise the issue with foreign heads of government during the CHOGM summit if asked. This comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Britain.
When asked whether UK would press for the issue to be included in the outcome document at CHOGM, Mr Asquith’s said, “Wait until next week.”
While Indian government sources had recently said they were not aware of any such move by Britain, India — given its strong strategic ties to Russia — is almost certain to oppose any proposed condemnation of Russia if the UK pushes for it at the CHOGM Summit.
“I will make it absolutely clear where United Kingdom sits in terms of the attack at Salisbury. We have been saying all along that we find no other explanation other than that it was Russia that carried it out, given the nature of the nerve agent... as a Soviet era nerve agent. There can be no other entity that made it except the state. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (the international chemical weapons watchdog) has confirmed exactly what we have been saying that the Russians have been contesting,” the British high commissioner said.
