Turkey has not confirmed the information about the interrogation of Russians detained in Libya, said Ivan Volynkin, Director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"With regard to the interrogation of Maxim Shugaley and Samer Sweifan in Turkey, we suspect the validity of this information. During contacts with Turkish partners, this information was not confirmed, " the diplomat said.
Volynkin also noted that the Russian Foreign Ministry closely dealt with the issue of detained Russians and regularly raised this issue in contacts with representatives of the Tripoli authorities, insisting on the immediate release of the Russians. Recently, the Foreign Minister of the GNA of Libya, Mohamed Siala, assured in writing that the problem of Russian citizens arrested in Tripoli would be closed in the near future, Volynkin recalled.
"We hope that the Libyan side will fulfill its promise," he added.
In May of last year in Libya, two citizens of Russia, employees of the Foundation for National Values Protection Maxim Shugaley and Samer Sueifan were detained. The head of the criminal investigation department under the Prosecutor General of Libya, Sadiq al-Sur, said that the Russians were detained in Tripoli for trying to influence the upcoming elections, these claims were denied by the Russian side. According to Malkevich, the research group's employees were engaged exclusively in sociological surveys, studying the humanitarian, cultural and political situation in the country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for the early release of the detained Russians.
In July, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the Russian Foreign Ministry had received written assurances from the Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya that the problem with the release of Russians Maxim Shugaley and Samer Sueifan from a Libyan prison would be resolved in the near future.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on materials from RIA Novosti