Micheál Martin
Ceist:136. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he or his officials have spoken to the Russian ambassador in Dublin. [14154/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 28 March 2018
Ceisteanna (136)
Freagraí scríofa
At last week’s European Council meeting, EU leaders unanimously agreed with the UK government’s assessment that the Russian Federation is highly likely to have been responsible for the attack in Salisbury on 4 March 2018, and that there is no plausible alternative explanation. They condemned the attack in the strongest possible manner and affirmed their unqualified solidarity with the United Kingdom in the face of this grave challenge to our shared security.
As I said in my statement yesterday, the use of chemical weapons, including the use of any toxic chemicals as weapons, by anyone, anywhere, is particularly shocking and abhorrent. The attack in Salisbury was not just an attack against the United Kingdom, but an affront to the international rules-based system on which we all depend for our security and well-being.
In light of the European Council Conclusions, and following an assessment conducted by the security services and relevant Departments, I briefed the Government yesterday on my intended course of action. At my request, the Secretary General of my Department met the Russian Ambassador and informed him that the accreditation of a member of his staff with diplomatic status is to be terminated, in line with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.