MOSCOW, April 5 (Itar-Tass) - RIA Novosti. Vienna refused to expel Russian diplomats, because it traditionally maintains good relations with Russia. This was on the air of the Puls 4 channel, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurtz said.

"One third of the EU countries did not send Russian diplomats, and we were among them, together with the Foreign Minister, I decided not to do this, because we have traditionally maintained good relations with Russia, are neutral and are the headquarters for many international organizations such as the UN or the OSCE, "the politician said.

Kurtz recalled that Austria, as a member of the European Union, along with other member countries of the community, supported the withdrawal of the EU ambassador from Moscow for consultations in Brussels. "With this gesture, we condemned Russia and demonstrated solidarity with the UK that it is most likely responsible for poisoning, which we followed as the European Union, because this is the EU line," the chancellor added.

Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneisl previously explained the refusal to expel Russian diplomats with the reluctance to "burn bridges" According to the head of Austrian diplomacy, Vienna came to such a decision not because of a possible response from Moscow, but because of the need to continue the dialogue.

At the end of March, 16 countries of the European Union, as well as the United States, Canada, Norway, Ukraine and several other countries decided to expel Russian diplomats in connection with the incident in Salisbury on March 4 this year, when ex-colonel GRU Sergei Skripal, who worked for the British special services, was poisoned and his daughter Julia. The British side made the claim that the Russian state was involved in the poisoning of Fiddles with substance A234, which Moscow categorically denies.

Link: https://ria.ru/world/20180405/1517958818.html