Russian Embassy sends note of protest to UK over plane inspection
The Russian Embassy in London accused Britain of gross provocation and sent a diplomatic note to the host country's Foreign Ministry demanding an explanation for the reason for the plane inspection.
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| Aeroflot |
In addition, the Russian diplomatic mission was upset that British law enforcement officials conducted checks in the absence of the crew.
"The British attempted to search the plane without the presence of the crew, which is strictly prohibited under current regulations. After embassy staff arrived at the airport and negotiated for a long time, they were able to include the plane's captain in the inspection team. ButAfter the inspection, the British still refused to provide any documents indicating the cause of this unusual activity, the legal basis as well as the results of the inspection," - the embassy representative concluded.
London's actions also puzzled the Russian Foreign Ministry. The ministry's official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, suggested that the British side wanted to use the support provided by the inspection "to try to save its reputation".
"The behavior of the British police clearly demonstrates the desire to carry out some operation on the plane in the absence of witnesses," Zakharova said.
