Georgia Expels Russian Diplomat Regarding Skripal Case
By Tea Mariamidze
Friday, March 30
Georgia has decided to expel a member of the staff of the Russian Federation Interests Section at the Embassy of Switzerland in Tbilisi in solidarity to the United Kingdom regarding the poisoning case of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in London.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the use of chemical weapons on the territory of the United Kingdom that caused grave human suffering of three individuals and posed serious threat to life and health of others. This represents serious challenge to common security,” the statement of the Georgian MFA reads, adding the Russian diplomat has to leave the country in 7 days.
The Ministry says Georgia expresses solidarity to the UK and shares the position of the United Kingdom as well as of international community on this matter.
The series of deportation of Russian diplomats started in the UK, which expelled 23 Russia’s representatives from the country.
Moscow retaliated by sending the same number of UK diplomats back, and by shuttering British cultural institutions in the country.
Russian diplomats are also being kicked out of 18 European Union states, as well as from the following non-EU states: Albania, Australia, Canada, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Ukraine and the United States. The US will expel the largest number of Russian diplomats – 60.
UK blames Russia for March 4 poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in Salisbury, England. One police officer was also poisoned while he rushed to help the poisoned Skripal and his daughter. He was discharged from the hospital on March 22.
The Telegraph reports the police disclosed that Russian hit squad poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter by smearing nerve agent on his front door.
Counter-terrorism police revealed for the first time that they believed Colonel Skripal and his daughter Yulia "first came into contact" with the Novichok nerve agent at their home.
Scotland Yard added that the "highest concentration of the nerve agent" had been discovered on the front door of Col Skripal's home in a cul-de-sac close to Salisbury city centre.
The Skripals remain in hospital in critical condition.
Col Skripal was a former Russian military intelligence agent who sold secrets to MI6. He was jailed in Russia but sent to Britain as part of a spy swap in 2010.
