MOSCOW, September 6. /TASS/. Moscow opposes any attempts of unconstitutional regime change in Guinea and demands that President Alpha Conde be released, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"It is with deep concern that we are following developments in Guinea, our friend, where a military group headed by former commander of a special ops unit, Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, carried out an armed coup in the country’s capital of Conakry on September 5," the statement reads.
"Moscow opposes any attempts of unconstitutional power takeover. We demand that Alpha Conde be released and his immunity be ensured. We believe that it is necessary for the situation in Guinea to swiftly return to constitutional foundations. We strongly call on all political forces in Guinea to refrain from actions that can incite more violence and peacefully resolve the current situation through talks," the diplomatic agency stressed.
The Russian ministry also recommended that "Russian citizens refrain from trips to Guinea until the situation fully normalizes."
Moreover, the agency recalled that the visit of Guinean Foreign Minister Ibrahima Khalil Kaba to Russia that was previously announced will not take place.
On September 5, an elite unit of the Guinean special ops troops led by Doumbouya entered the government quarters in Conakry and deployed their forces in front of the presidential palace. Witnesses reported that shots had been fired. Rebel leader Doumbouya delivered an address via the national television to announce that President Alpha Conde was detained, government was dissolved, while the national constitution was suspended.