MOSCOW, January 08, 11:22 /ITAR-TASS/. The Russian Federal Fishery Agency (Rosrybolovstvo) believes the talks planned for January 7 with Senegal's President Macky Sall over the detention of the Russian trawler Oleg Naidenov were cancelled under Greenpeace pressure.
Rosrybolovstvo refers to the Greenpeace organization's press release, in which it confirms its support for the Senegalese government in the enforcement of the fishing regulations and appeals to the Senegalese president and the government to remain resolute and put an end to illegal actions of such vessels.
This means the army of the sovereign Republic of Senegal acts under the Greenpeace command, said the head of the Rosrybolovstvo public relations centre, Alexander Savelyev.
Senegal's army continues holding the fishing trawler Oleg Naidenov with citizens of Russia and Guinea Bissau aboard at a military base in Dakar, the official noted.
Rosrybolovstvo reported earlier that negotiations between a Russian delegation and Senegalese authorities planned at first for Tuesday morning and later for Tuesday evening, January 7, over the trawler detention were postponed. The meeting is expected to be held this Wednesday.
"We hope for a meeting with Senegal's President Macky Sall to tell him about our concerns," said Alexander Biryukov, a Rosrybolovstvo official. "We are working and will be working on all the levels to settle the situation -- with officials of the Fishery Ministry and other departments," he said. "We will demand the matter be cleared up, and the main thing is that we will demand to free the vessel."
The official said Senegalese authorities had not presented any documents with formulated accusations against the trawler to the Russian side so far.
The Senegalese military detained the Russian trawler Oleg Naidenov in a tough operation 46 miles off Guinea Bissau's coast in early January. Some sailors aboard the trawler were injured. The ship was escorted to the port of Dakar.
Sixty two Russian citizens, mostly sailors from the Murmansk Region, and 20 citizens of Guinea Bissau are aboard the Oleg Naidenov. The crew remain aboard under control of Senegalese law enforcers. The sailors' documents were seized when they were detained.
The Oleg Naidenov belongs to a company registered in Murmansk. It is a large fishing vessel, 120 m long. The ship was built in Germany in 1989.