Time for France to decide whether to supply Mistrals or refund - diplomat
MOSCOW. Oct 9 (Interfax) - France should make up its mind on the question of supplying Mistral helicopter carriers to Russia: if Paris has no intention of honoring the contract, it should pay the money back, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich.
"It is time for the French side to decide because this summer we only heard claims that even despite the current situation the contract will be honored but now the government has made a turn in a different direction," he said at a briefing in Moscow on Thursday.
"Time to decide, and if it is no, then the money should be given back," the diplomat added.
As far as Mistrals are concerned, the position in Moscow is that a relevant contract was signed and should be honored, Lukashevich said. "Significant sums (of money) were transferred under the contract," he added.
"If the French can offer some new options and so forth, they should discuss it with us instead of using loudspeaker-diplomacy methods, especially those involving mass media," he said.