Russia has reacted with fury to Australia’s decision to ban it from a plum Canberra site where it had planned a new embassy.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov lashed the snap legislation enabling the ban as “hysteria” and “another unfriendly display” in a statement to Russian news agency TASS on Friday (AEST).
“To our regret, Australia diligently continues to move in the main stream of the authors of the Russophobic hysteria that is now taking place in the Western countries. Australia is trying to be an excellent student there,” he said.
“We will take this into account and if there are issues on the agenda that require the principle of reciprocity, we will act accordingly.”
The federal government rushed legislation through parliament on Thursday to prevent Russia from going ahead with a long-held plan of building a new embassy on a block just 500 metres from Parliament House.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the move in a snap press conference early on Thursday, saying it was “in the national security interests of Australia”.
“The government has received very clear security advice as to the risks presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House,” he said.
“We are acting quickly to ensure the lease site does not become a formal diplomatic presence.”
The legislation had the backing of the opposition. Crossbenchers were also briefed on the legislation, which passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday morning.
It came after the Federal Court in May overruled a decision by the National Capital Authority to evict Russia from the site.
Mr Albanese said on Thursday the government was expecting a response from Moscow.
“We don’t expect that Russia’s in a position to talk about international law given their rejection of it so consistently and so brazenly with their invasion of Ukraine and the atrocities that have occurred that are occurring on an ongoing basis,” he said.
That response was swift, coming just hours after the legislation’s swift passing.
TASS reported the the Russian embassy in Canberra described the new law as “another step by Anthony Albanese towards a deliberate and systematic destruction of relations with Moscow”.
On Thursday, Mr Mr Albanese said Russia’s presence in Canberra would continue “just as Australia has a diplomatic presence in Moscow.”
“This is not about changing that, this is about the specific risk presented by this site,” he said.
Russia’s existing embassy in the inner-south suburb of Griffith is not affected by the decision.
