MOSCOW, March 29. /TASS/. Any call urging London to move towards adequacy will be welcome, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday in the wake of the Austrian foreign minister’s statement that Vienna might be prepared to act as a mediator to settle the spat between Britain and Russia.

"As far as Britain is concerned, any role and any voice will be welcome, provided it will urge our British counterparts to move towards adequacy," Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin spokesman said recently Russia and Austria had high-level contacts, which were "rather effective, very constructive and pragmatic."

Earlier, Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl said the expulsion of Russian diplomats from Vienna would make dialogue within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) absolutely impossible.

She noted however that her country had expressed solidarity with the United Kingdom from the very beginning of the scandal over alleged poisoning of Russian former military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal. Meanwhile, Austria would not change its mind on the decision not to expel Russian diplomats, she stressed.

Austria is ready to act as a mediator in settling the differences between the UK and Russia, she said. In 1995, Austria joined the EU as a neutral state. "It is important for us to pursue such diplomacy, which allows us to maintain dialogue," she said.