Australia takes a strong position alongside Great Britain in the "thorny" story of the attack through the use of a nerve agent on former spy Serghei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. It therefore condemns Russia the Canberra government and in underlining it clearly, supports London's right to retaliate, announcing the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats. According to a joint statement by Conservative Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Prime Minister Theresa May "presented compelling arguments about the Russian state's responsibility for this attack, with an illegal use of force against the United Kingdom and its people. Australia stands alongside the United Kingdom in solidarity and supports, in the strongest terms, Prime Minister May's response to this hateful attack, the first use of chemical weapons in Europe since the Second World War ”.
Turnbull, who reiterates Australia's full support for the United Kingdom, a country among others, with which it has continued a fruitful and important partnership relationship for years, specified that he supported London's right to expel Russian diplomats for retaliation and to ask a full investigation to bring those responsible to justice. However, he did not comment on whether Australia will also adopt a similar measure with regard to Russia, leading to the expulsion of Russian diplomats.
Photo: britishchamber.com
