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Moscow refutes reports of Russian Security Council chief apologizing to Montenegro

The Guardian alleged that Nikolai Patrushev had apologies for an attempted coup in Montenegro plotted by Russian nationalists
Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev Mikhail Japaridze/TASS
Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev
© Mikhail Japaridze/TASS

MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. Secretary of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev has "apologized to no one since there is nothing to apologize for," the press service of the Russian Security Council told TASS on Friday, commenting on The Guardian’s publication alleging that Patrushev has apologies for an attempted coup in Montenegro plotted by Russian nationalists.

Patrushev allegedly offered apologies when he was on a visit to Serbia in late October. "Patrushev’s visit to Serbia was a regular planned one. The agreement on it had been reached with the Serbian side back in May, when Patrushev met with Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic," the press service said.

"When in Belgrade, the secretary of the Russian Security Council held Russian-Serbian consultations on issues of strategic security," the press service said. "The sides discussed prospects of the Russia-Serbian security dialogue, military and military technical cooperation, joint response to emergency situations, cooperation in countering trans-border crime and in the sphere of cyber security. Special attention was paid to Moscow’s and Belgrade’s efforts to counter terrorism, radicalism and extremism, to prevent financing of terrorism and spreading of ultra-right ideology and Nazism."

"The domestic political situation in the Balkan countries was discussed neither at the consultations nor at his meetings with the Serbian prime minister and president," the press service informed.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also confirmed that stance saying the media allegations that Patrushev had apologized for "Russian nationalists" plotting the murder of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic are nothing but classical provocations.

"The Guardian publication citing some ‘sources’ that Patrushev has allegedly apologized for ‘Russian nationalists’ who had planned the murder of Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic is a classical provocation, or dissemination of knowingly false statements," she wrote on her Facebook account.

Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic earlier called on Russia to speak out on whether it has any relation to a terror plot in the republic on the day of the October 16 parliamentary elections.

Djukanovic believes that the preparation of such acts "is always organized by intelligence or security structures."

Montenegro’s Chief Special Prosecutor Milvoje Katnic earlier blamed 'Russian nationalists' for the attempted terrorist attack on the day of parliamentary elections on October 16.

"We have no evidence that Russia as a state was involved in that but we have evidence and proof of the involvement of Russian nationalists. I am using the term ‘nationalists’ in a negative sense. Their plan was to stop Montenegro on its Euro-Atlantic path, not to let it join NATO. It was the original mission," he said.

As the special prosecutor said earlier, a group of Serbian, Montenegrin and Russian nationals was organized by "nationalists from Russia" who maintained that the Montenegrin government led by Prime Minister Djukanovic could not be changed in elections but was to be toppled by force. The group that was formed to topple the legitimate government plotted a terrorist attack at 23:00 in the evening on October 16, he said.

Twenty Serbian nationals were arrested in Montenegro on October 16 on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks.

Russia has resolutely rejected its complicity in the attempts to organize any unlawful acts in Montenegro.