Russian citizens Shishmakov and Popov, as well as Montenegrin citizen Ananije Nikic, enjoy Moscow’s protection, foreign minister Srdjan Darmanovic told the Radio Montenegro.
The latest statements by Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov only prove that renewal of relations with Moscow is not easy, Darmanovic said.
“The court in Montenegro which is considering the case will decide whether those statements are true. As far as we are concerned, we know what happened. Whether it will be proved before the court and to what extent that is another matter. Regarding the truthfulness of these statements, we can say that they are as accurate as the claims that there were never any Russian soldiers in the Crimea,” Darmanovic said.
He also believes that Russian citizens Shishmakov and Popov, as well as Montenegrin citizen Ananije Nikic, enjoy the protection of Moscow.
“First, they were evacuated from Belgrade, and then our prosecutor was not allowed to go to Moscow to question them. So there is a significant obstruction of justice, including granting political asylum to Nikic,” said Darmanovic.
According to him, it is clear that there is a certain fear that Shishmakov, Popov and Nikic might say certain things about what happened in Montenegro in October 2016, on election day.
