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Diplomat: Russia's demand of inquiry into Lisa case no interfering in Germany’s affairs

Moscow urged Germany to present all information gathered in the process of investigating the case of a teenage Russian girl whose absence for more than a day sparked wide public alarm
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova Artyom Geodakyan/TASS
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova
© Artyom Geodakyan/TASS

MOSCOW, January 29 /TASS/. Russia is not interfering in Germany’s internal affairs. Moscow has every right to demand an objective inquiry into a case that concerns a Russian citizen, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Friday commenting the German foreign minister’s remarks about the so-called Lisa case, referring to the case of a teenage Russian girl, whose absence from her family in Berlin for more than a day sparked wide public alarm.

Russia’s Channel One narrated the story of teen-age girl Lisa, 13, two weeks ago. The broadcaster quoted the girl’s relatives as saying she had been reportedly raped by migrants. The German police confirmed that the girl had been listed missing for one day. She resurfaced 30 hours later. The official police report said the investigators found no evidence of abduction or rape.

"The Russian side has all grounds to demand a prompt and objective inquiry into the Lisa case and the provision of all information in full measure. We are not interfering in Germany’s internal affairs and are not using the incident to exert influence on the complicated intra-German debates on migration problems," the Russian diplomat said.

"I would like to say that the situation has been very complicated since the very beginning. However, it became confusing because neither we nor German citizens and family members heard clear comments from representatives of the relevant law enforcement agencies in Germany," she said.

The case sparked public outrage. According to rumors circulating in social networks, the German police were not taking proper legal measures. The law enforcers replied they would not tolerate groundless charges of inactivity.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier urged Germany to present all information being gathered in the process of investigating the case of the Russian girl.

According to Zakharova, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier will hold a telephone conversation on Friday, during which the issue will be discussed.

"A telephone conversation between the two countries’ top diplomats Sergey Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier is scheduled for today. This issue (the crime against the underage Russian girl - TASS) will be discussed," she said. "We hope we will be receiving all necessary information from our colleagues."