Reciprocally Giving Sanctions Between Russia And Canada, An Attorney General To The Head Of Intelligence Are Involved

Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin bersama Perdana Menteri Kanada Justin Trudeau. (Wikimedia Commons / Kremlin.ru / Press Service of the President of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Canadian authorities say that the sanctions imposed by Russia on its citizens are unreasonable. Meanwhile, Russia imposed the sanctions in retaliation for previous Canadian sanctions which the Kremlin deemed invalid.

Russia imposed sanctions by blacklisting nine Canadian citizens, thus barring them from entering Russian territory. These nine people are considered to have formed and carried out anti-Russian policies.

"In response to the illegal sanctions imposed by the Government of Canada on a citizen of the Russian Federation on March 24, 2021, under the fabricated pretext of alleged mistreatment of Russian citizen Alexei Navalny. Convicted of an illegal act, the decision was made indefinitely, prohibiting entry to Russia for the following people with Canadian citizenship", said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova yesterday, as reported by TASS Tuesday, June 8.

The list includes: Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, Canadian Correctional Services Commissioner Anne Kelly, Canadian Equestrian Police Commissioner Brenda Lucki, Prime Minister Policy Director Marci Surkes, Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc, Undersecretary of the Department of National Defense Jody Thomas, Deputy Chief of Defense Staff Michael Rouleau, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Brian Brennan and Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Commander Rear Admiral Scott Bishop.

The spokesman stressed that official Canadian authorities continue to support initiatives directed against Russia, displaying inappropriate and counterproductive activities in support of the ultra-nationalistic regime in Kyiv and the 'Russophobic' forces in the Baltics.

Alexei Navalny. (Wikimedia Commons/Evgeny Feldman Novaya Gazeta)

"Baseless accusations against our country of 'targeted aggression' in Ukraine, as well as attempts to interfere in Russia's internal affairs. Such destructive actions by Ottawa, as the diplomat pointed out, negatively reflect the prospects of restoring interstate dialogue and building interaction between Russia and Canada as neighbors through the Arctic", he stressed.

Nonetheless, Moscow is still ready to build a constructive relationship with Canada despite the 'Russophobic' attitude fostered by certain parts of Canada's stance.

"The Russian side remains open, when and if they are ready in Ottawa, for the development of our relations based on the principles of mutual respect with an emphasis on cooperation in objectively coincident areas of interest such as the Arctic, and regional and business relations", Zakharova said.

"In Russia, Canadians are always viewed with warmth and with good feelings despite the 'Russophobic' mood fostered by certain political classes and 'influence groups'", the diplomat concluded.

Separately, Canada's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Russia's sanctions against some of its nationals baseless and unacceptable.

"We are aware of Russia's decision to ban nine Canadians from entering Russia in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Canada on March 24", the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

"Russian sanctions against Canadian individuals, including members of the government, are unacceptable and baseless", the ministry continued.

Meanwhile, Global Affairs Canada said in a statement that Ottawa had previously imposed anti-Russian sanctions over the situation surrounding Alexei Navalny and his supporters.

"We remain deeply concerned by the deteriorating human rights situation in Russia and the shrinking space for civil society and independent voices. We support the Canadians who were targeted and we will continue to work with partners in defense of democracy", the statement said.

To note, the Canadian government imposed sanctions on nine high-ranking Russian officials over the situation of Alexey Navalny on March 24. Those affected by the sanctions include Russia's FSB Chief Alexander Bortnikov, First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Kiriyenko, Director of the National Guard Viktor Zolotov, Head of the Presidential Domestic Policy Directorate Andrei Yarin, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko, and Pavel Popov, Plenipotentiary Deputy of the President Russia in the Siberian Federal District Sergei Menyailo, Head of the Federal Penitentiary Alexander Kalashnikov and Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov.