MOSCOW. July 21 (Interfax) - Publishing reports similar to the one presented by the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament is damaging to bilateral relations with Russia, Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee head Leonid Slutsky said.
"All the arguments, so to speak, claims about interference in the domestic politics of the United Kingdom have clearly been presented in order to call Russia, from the parliamentary rostrum, a threat and new challenge and demand more funding for fighting our country," Slutsky told journalists on Tuesday.
He said it is an attempt "to place Russia in a virtual axis of evil while accusing it of paranoid evaluations. It's not we who suffer from paranoia, but precisely the authors and composers of the myths about an aggressive Russia."
"Obviously, the publication of such reports is yet another step toward destroying bilateral relations, which are already going through not the best of times. We cannot agree with either the conclusions or the untenable accusations of the British side," Slutsky said.
"The report from the Intelligence and Security Committee of the UK Parliament and the commentary thereto is the brightest of examples of Russophobia, hollow accusations, and rude anti-Russian propaganda," he said.
The report was published on Tuesday. Initially, its publication was scheduled for March of last year, but was then postponed. The report was prepared by the previous committee, which has changed since the elections in late 2019.