MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) — The Australian embassy in Moscow refuses to comment on a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry regarding Canberra's decision to stop uranium shipments to Russia, the mission's Second Secretary told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
"The Embassy declined to comment," said the Australian diplomat.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that by refusing to deliver uranium to Russia, Australia has "shot itself in the foot" and proven that it cannot be seen as a reliable business partner.
Australia holds the largest uranium deposits in the world. In 2007, Moscow and Canberra signed a nuclear energy cooperation agreement. In early September, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott informed the Australian parliament of the government's decision to ban uranium exports to Russia over the Ukrainian row and the alleged shooting of the Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine, which killed 28 Australians.
Alexei Fenenko, senior research fellow at the Institute of International Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, believes that Australia deeply depends on US strategy in the Pacific and thus the decision to stop delivering uranium to Russia was taken not without United States' influence.
Fenenko added that "the share of Australian uranium, even though it is of a highest quality, was always extremely small and we [Russia] have never depended on Australian uranium."
Earlier, Russian state-run atomic energy corporation Rosatom stated that Russia's domestic and foreign nuclear projects have enough uranium to last a hundred years. Rosatom noted that Russia has not imported Australian uranium since 2012, when the first and only shipment was made.
