Russian embassy regrets UK parliament being drawn into ‘Russophobic campaign’

LONDON, April 23. /TASS/. The Russian Embassy in London regrets that the British parliament is being sucked into a "Russophobic campaign," which, according to the diplomatic mission, will only erode relations between the countries, the embassy’s press secretary reported on Monday, commenting on information about an interparty group on Russia that is being created in the House of Commons. According to British media, this group will deal with combating purported threats that Russia allegedly poses to the UK.

"We heard the decision to establish the new "Russia Coordinating Group" that will be headed by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Tom Tugendhat and will involve other senior parliamentary members. The group’s goal is to coordinate efforts of the House of Commons to find a solution to Russian ‘hybrid threats,’" the embassy noted.

"The fact that this group was created on an anti-Russian basis is regrettable. Instead of searching for ways to restore Russian-British relations or at least preserve communication channels, the parliament has once again allowed itself to be drawn into a new Russophobic campaign that was launched by the conservative government," the embassy’s press secretary noted.

The embassy stated that bilateral relations between the countries "have reached their lowest point after the British government blamed Russia for Sergey and Yulia Skripal’s poisoning." "Political contacts were frozen at the initiative of the British side. Russia is being threatened with new sanctions," the embassy stressed.

"Unfortunately, the creation of such a group on a clearly unconstructive anti-Russian basis will not change this situation. Instead, it will lead to a further deterioration in our relations," the embassy affirmed.