Last month Abbott vowed to "shirtfront" the Russian president at the G20 summit in Brisbane next week, although Moscow has yet to respond to his request for a bilateral meeting.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev responded to the rhetoric by saying Putin was a judo black-belt and that "serious politicians should chose their words carefully".
Shirtfronting is an Australian Rules Football sporting term in which a player charges an opponent.
"He won't be able to avoid the conversation, so one way or another we're going to have the bilateral -- whether it's in the corridor or in a more formal setting," Abbott told The Australian newspaper.
However, he said he did not want the G20 to be overshadowed by their rift, with government sources saying the pair could instead meet at the prior APEC summit in Beijing starting on Monday.
"What I won't be doing is disrupting the sessions of the G20 with a private argument between Australia and Russia," Abbott said.
"But I am seeking a bilateral with him at the earliest possible opportunity, which will be a chance to emphasise how important it is to Australia -- and indeed to The Netherlands, Malaysia and all the other countries that had people on MH17 -- that there be full co-operation with the investigation.
"And if criminal prosecutions loom, full co-operation with them."
The Malaysian Airlines passenger jet was shot down over eastern Ukraine in July, killing all 298 people on board. Most of the dead were Dutch but 38 Australian citizens or residents also perished.
Australia -- along with the United States -- accuses Russian-backed rebels of shooting down the flight using a missile supplied by Moscow. Russia has repeatedly denied the claim and pointed the finger at Kiev.
Abbott's comments came as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrived in Australia -- on a Malaysia Airlines plane -- to discuss the MH17 tragedy and work on ways to bring those responsible to justice......................AFP..............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/putin-cannot-avoid-me-australia-pm.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73944&NewsCatID=359
6/11/14
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Related:
Australia to open embassy in Kiev in show of solidarity. "There will be no Australian uranium sales to Russia" (Tony Abbott)
Australian PM, Tony Abbott, threatens tougher sanctions against Russia. (now that Australian personnel have left the Malaysia Airlines crash site)
Australia rules out new sanctions against Russia.(“We already have some sanctions on Russia")
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Related:
Families of German MH17 victims to sue Ukraine. --"Every country bears the responsibility for the security of its airspace"
Ukraine 'bears full responsibility' for MH17 crash (Sergei Shoigu)
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Putin may talk to Australia PM at APEC, G20 summits — Kremlin spokesman ...
ReplyDeleteRussian President Vladimir Putin may have talks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China’s Beijing on November 10-11 and at the G20 summit in Australia's Brisbane on November 15-16, Russian president’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.
“They will have an opportunity to have talks on the sidelines of one or another summit in any case,” he said..............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/758329
6/11/14