Peskov Says Moscow Not Interfering In CAR Domestic Policy Despite Military Presence

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th January, 2022) The presence of Russian military advisers in the Central African Republic (CAR) at its government request should not be interpreted as Moscow's involvement in the domestic affairs of the African nation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

"Our relations wit the Central African Republic are being developed on various levels. It is true that our military advisers are indeed there. However, needless to say that any participation in domestic processes in the car is impossible, it is out of the question," Peskov told journalists.

Earlier on Thursday, the Russian ambassador to the CAR, Alexander Bikantov, told Sputnik that at the moment there are 1,135 Russian military advisers in the CAR, which were dispatched there with the knowledge of the UN Security Council.

Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of being militarily present in various African countries. On December 17, Alexander Ivanov, the director general of the non-governmental Officers Union for International Security (OUIS), told Sputnik that Russian military advisers were dispatched to the CAR at the request of its government to educate and train local security forces. He stressed that the OUIS is not a so-called "private military company," therefore, its military advisers should not be considered mercenaries and are not involved in military action.