Russia sees Interpol's offer to help probe Moscow attack as bid to clear doubt on Ukraine’s involvement

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that Interpol's offer to assist in investigating the terrorist attack on a concert hall in the Moscow region could be an attempt to clear Ukraine of involvement in the worst terror attack in decades.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow following a meeting with his Namibian counterpart Peya Mushelenga, Lavrov questioned why Interpol did not offer assistance in other cases, such as the explosion of Nord Stream gas pipelines that were transporting gas from Russia to Germany via the Baltic Sea.

"Interestingly, just a day after the terrorist attack, when statements were made in the West that of course it was not Ukraine, but the Islamic State, at the same time, the Interpol leadership unexpectedly announced that they would be ready to assist in the investigation.

"We will hardly need such assistance, which will clearly be a manifestation of double standards and, most likely, will be aimed at promoting a theory convenient for the West that the Islamic State did it, and Ukraine 'has nothing to do with it'," the minister stressed.

Turning to the other issues, Lavrov said he discussed with Mushelenga the sharp escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as "massive, unjustified and illegal strikes by the 'international coalition' led by the US and UK on the territory of Yemen."

In addition, the two ministers spoke about reforms in the UN Security Council, Lavrov noted, adding that Russia reiterated its position that the African continent's interests should be considered in this process.

Lavrov thanked Namibia for supporting Russia's initiatives in the UN of fighting Nazi ideology, and disarmament, including in space, and cybersecurity.

"Russia attaches great importance to strengthening the sovereignty of African countries. We have reiterated our position on the need for everyone to respect the principle of 'African problems-African solutions.' The international community should provide Africans with all possible assistance, including in training and equipping peacekeeping operations and financing projects," he said.

Russia also plans to increase cooperation with African countries via the Southern African Development Community (SADC), he added.