Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov on Monday rejected a claim that the country had sent troops to the Central African Republic after an alleged attempted coup.
«We are not sending troops, we are complying with all UN resolutions,» the Interfax news agency cited Bogdanov as saying.
The CAR government said earlier Monday that Russia, along with Rwanda, had sent in hundreds of troops after three powerful rebel groups merged and started to advance on the capital Bangui.
While Bodganov denied that Russia was deploying troops in CAR, he noted that it has previously sent military instructors to the troubled country under a cooperation agreement.
«So our people are there, naturally,» he added.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not comment about the CAR claim on the troop deployment, although he described the political crisis there as a «cause for serious concern».
When reached by AFP the Russian defense ministry did not give an immediate comment.
The deputy foreign minister also told Interfax that CAR’s presidential election would take place as planned on December 27, despite «destructive forces» trying to «disrupt» them.
Russia in recent years has sought to increase its clout in Africa, with analysts pointing to the presence in several countries of the pro-Kremlin mercenary group Wagner.
In CAR, Moscow has been leading a vast diplomatic and financial offensive since 2018 in return for major concessions to Russian companies for the exploitation of minerals, particularly gold and diamonds.
Russia Quotes Law of Sea to Calm Greek-Turkey Tension
The dispute between Turkey and Greece over energy-rich waters in the Mediterranean should be settled on the «basis of international law», Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
The discovery of huge natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean has exacerbated tensions between Ankara and Athens following Turkish exploration operations in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus.
Their differences «must be resolved on the basis of international law, the international convention on the law of the sea… that is the key to normalize relations», Lavrov said after talks with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias.
Athens often cites the law of the sea to support its case against Ankara which has not signed the 1982 convention.
Lavrov told Greek press agency ANA on Monday that article three of the convention allows states to expand national waters to 12 nautical miles.
Turkey has warned that such a move by Greece would lead to war. Some Greek islands are under 12 nautical miles from the Turkish coast and Turkish vessels could be prevented from entering certain areas.
Turkey has extended once again a research ship’s search for gas in the contested waters, with Greece warning at the weekend that made a «constructive dialogue» even more unlikely.
The ship made a first foray into the waters in August, sparking a storm of regional controversy, and then returned in mid-October.
«Turkey is committed to the escalation of tension,» Nikos Dendias said, adding that Greece was «ready to uphold her sovereign rights».
Dialogue between the two neighbors «could not take place under pressure», he added, accusing Turkey of having a «neo-Ottoman vision» and playing a «destabilizing role» in the region.
The tensions have seen Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, France and Italy stage military exercises in the eastern Mediterranean, heightening fears the standoff could accidentally tip into conflict.
Lavrov was due to meet Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis later on Monday.