SYDNEY -- Russian and Australian officials had a Twitter battle over genders and borders on Tuesday.
The social media prodding began after Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop made it clear that she would push ahead with a plan to exclude Russian President Vladimir Putin from the G20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia in November, according to The Australian.
The official Twitter account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation first took a dig at Bishop, referring to her as "he."
#Lavrov: The Australian FM’s idea not to invite Russia to the G20 summit is not surprising but he should not lose sight of its principles— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) September 2, 2014
Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, stood up for Bishop, and scolded the ministry. Bildt tweeted that knowing Bishop's gender was not a difficult task.
@mfa_russia You should know that Australia FM @JulieBishopMP is not a “he”. Fairly basic.— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) September 2, 2014
Australia's Ambassador to Russia Paul Myler then chimed in, thanking Bildt for his support, but joked that borders and genders are very confusing issues.
@carlbildt @mfa_russia @JulieBishopMP Thanks Carl! Borders, genders - all a bit confusing right now!— Paul Myler (@PosolAustralia) September 2, 2014
Myler's cheeky comment referred to an earlier tweet by the Canadian Joint Delegation to NATO, whose pictorial potshot followed reports that Russian troops keep "accidentally" finding themselves in Ukraine, The Telegraph reported.
Geography can be tough. Here’s a guide for Russian soldiers who keep getting lost & ‘accidentally’ entering #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/RF3H4IXGSp— Canada at NATO (@CanadaNATO) August 27, 2014