MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2018) UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday praised the UK Armed Forces for their commitment, namely, for ensuring country's security by fighting the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, or Daesh, banned in Russia) and countering Russia.
"From playing a vital role in cleaning up after a sickening nerve agent attack on the streets of Salisbury, protecting our waters and our skies from Russian intrusion and strengthening our allies in Eastern Europe, striking at terrorism as part of the global coalition against Daesh, and along with our US and French allies - sending a message to the [Syrian President Bashar] Assad regime that we will not stand by while chemical weapons are used ... Time and again, you have stood up to aggression and those who flout the rules based international order," May said in her Christmas message to the armed forces, as quoted by the Sky news broadcaster.
She said that the military should be "incredibly proud" of itself just as "the whole country" is proud of it.
"Now as we approach the new year, there will be new challenges ahead. But I know you will continue to meet them in the same way that you have always done. With courage, determination, resilience, ingenuity. Qualities that are as vital now as they have ever been," May concluded.
On March 4, former Russia double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found unconscious on a bench at a shopping center in the UK city of Salisbury after having been exposed to a military-grade nerve agent. While the UK authorities accused Russia of being behind the murder attempt, Moscow rejected the claim as baseless and also slammed the United Kingdom for ignoring numerous diplomatic notes that Russia had sent to the UK Foreign Office calling for cooperation in investigation into the matter.
In late November, militants from terrorist groups fired shells at Syrian city of Aleppo, injuring scores of civilians. While Western states hold the Syrian government forces responsible for the attack, Moscow has repeatedly warned that the White Helmets organization was trying to organize provocations using chemical agents against the local population in the demilitarized zone around Syria's Idlib.
