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ICC did not contact Mongolian authorities ahead of Russian president's visit

Ulziibayaryn Zolbayar urged the public to treat any information with caution, check its reliability and trust only official sources

ULAANBAATAR, September 2. /TASS/. Information that the International Criminal Court (ICC) contacted Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on the eve of the visit of Russian head of state Vladimir Putin is false, presidential spokesman Ulziibayaryn Zolbayar told reporters.

"Let's refute a lot of false information spread on the Internet. Information that the ICC sent a letter to the Mongolian president containing statements and appeals in connection with the upcoming visit of the Russian head of state to our country on September 3 are lies and distortions of facts, not information from an official source," the spokesman said during a briefing.

He urged the public to treat any information with caution, check its reliability and trust only official sources.

"Such false and misleading information is deliberately spread in social networks," Ulziibayaryn Zolbayar emphasized.

Earlier, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin is not concerned about Mongolia's compliance with the ICC arrest warrants, as Moscow and Ulaanbaatar have an "excellent dialogue." Peskov emphasized that all aspects of the visit had been carefully prepared. "There are no worries, we have an excellent dialogue with our friends in Mongolia," he said in response to a related question.

ICC arrest warrants

On March 17, 2023, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children's rights, for their alleged involvement in war crimes "consisting in the illegal deportation of the population," including children, and their illegal transfer to Russia.

A year later, on June 25, the ICC Pre-Trial Division also issued arrest warrants for Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.