As Nigerians continue to decry United States inclusion of the nation on the list of its terror ‘countries of interest’, the Ambassador Extraordinary Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Nigeria, Mr Alexander Polyakov, has said that his country does not favour the general approach of the US as a response to the attempted Christmas day bombing.
The Russian envoy also expressed his wishes for the speedy recovery of Nigeria’s President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who is currently hospitalised in Saudi Arabia.
According to Polyakov, his country would rather deal with an AbdulMutallab-like issue on an individual basis since it was an issue of security, adding that Nigeria is not a country that generates insecurity. He also alluded to the actions taken by the US towards Nigeria as discriminatory.
Speaking to newsmen at the Russian Embassy in Abuja yesterday, the Russian envoy however expressed optimism that both the Nigerian and American governments would find a way to diffuse the tension that has been created by the incident.
Polyakov, who emphatically stated that he had no business commenting on the situation of US-Nigeria relations, commended the Nigerian government for having taken necessary steps to boost security at the airports, adding that he, even though a diplomat, had already experienced it while returning to Nigeria last week.
“It is not my business to comment on the situation of Nigerian-American relations, it is up to the Nigerian and American officials to tackle the problem and find a solution. I am convinced that despite all the tensions around it, sooner or later, the Nigerian and American diplomats and state service men would find solutions which are acceptable both to Nigeria and America,” he posited.
Speaking on the bilateral ties between the Russian Federation and Nigeria, Polyakov expressed disappointment that the joint venture signed between the Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) and Russian company, GAZPROM, saying the deal has suffered a delay due to bureaucratic bottlenecks from both the Nigerian and Russian governments.
He expressed optimism that the various bilateral agreements signed by the two nations in the middle of last year would be implemented, especially that which borders on the use of nuclear energy.
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