Lavrov protects pro-Armenian blogger

Moscow opposes extradition to Azerbaijan a Russian citizen, blogger Alexander Lapshin detained in Belarus, who also is having Israeli citizenship. "We opposed the extradition of Russian citizens detained in one country or another, to a third country,"  said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference, asking about the fate of Lapshin, Baku detained on request.

The prosecutor's office of Azerbaijan accuses the blogger of illegally crossing the border,  and visiting  the occupied territories.

"We are against the criminalization of visiting journalists or simply individuals of a given territory in a particular region," Lavrov said.

"We had consular contact with Mr.Lapshin". "Incidentally, we know that it is both a citizen of Israel, and Israeli diplomats have also been in contact with him. We believe that we will make every effort to resolve this situation while fully respecting the rights of the citizen of the Russian Federation, who is also a citizen of Israel," said the Minister.

Lavrov recalled that Russia and Belarus constitute a federal state in which fundamental decisions have been adopted,  equalize the rights of citizens of one country, and another in all spheres.-06D-