Maria Zakharova explained why Russia sent a note to Kazakhstan after Navai's arrest
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, explained on her Telegram channel why the Consulate General of the Russian Federation in Almaty sent a note to Kazakhstan over the detention and subsequent arrest of rapper Navai (Navai Bakirov) in a case involving suspicion of drug smuggling.
The topic of Navai's arrest in the drug case remains one of the most discussed in the Russian media — Russian actress and public figure Yana Poplavskaya, on her personal Telegram channel, criticized the Consulate General of Russia in Almaty for the fact that its staff sent a note to the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan after Navai's arrest.
"I kept thinking — something familiar. And it turns out this is the rapper who crashed a very expensive car on the Garden Ring in Moscow in the spring. A drug-addict rapper, as it turned out. Russian diplomats are concerned about the fate of Navai Bakirov, who was detained the other day at the entrance into Kazakhstan, because drugs were found in the car. The rapper admitted that he bought them in Bishkek, and a smuggling case has been opened against him. In Russia, no one would even have touched him. Kazakhstan's law enforcement officers should be given not a note, but respect — for their vigilance and intolerance of drug crime," Ya. Poplavskaya writes on her Telegram channel.
The actress was answered on her Telegram channel by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, who explained in detail why Russia sent a note to Kazakhstan after Navai's arrest.
"The other day Yana Poplavskaya was surprised (let's put it that way) by the actions of our Consulate General in Alma-Ata, which sent a note to the authorities of Kazakhstan with a request to provide information about the detention of a Russian citizen. Although Yana and I know each other personally, let me explain once again for her and for others how Russian diplomats are obliged to act in such situations," M. Zakharova notes, citing in her post links to articles of the Constitution of the Russian Federation guaranteeing citizens protection and patronage outside the country.
"I will not discuss here this specific case involving a Russian citizen. Our consular officers are not lawyers or investigators to qualify the actions of our compatriots abroad or to conduct investigations; they are — always and everywhere — obliged to protect Russian citizens in all difficult situations abroad without exception," M. Zakharova notes.
"When our colleagues in a foreign state learn about such cases involving Russian citizens, they are obliged to react, to stand up in defense of compatriots who have encountered various problems. Whoever finds themselves in trouble, our diplomats will always come to the rescue. That is the law!" the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry continues.
According to M. Zakharova, "this is a very difficult area of work for our consular colleagues, both physically and morally and psychologically": "It would probably be easier for them not to run around police stations, prisons and penal colonies. They would probably like to 'unsee' much of what they have seen not on television, but in real life, but this is their duty and the foundation of their Service, I would even say their Ministry, no matter in which parts of the world, climatic zones and specific countries the events and incidents occur. I will also add that sending a note in this case is a standard procedure, a basic element of interaction with the authorities of the host country in the format of diplomatic correspondence. The protection of the rights and interests of Russian citizens is a socially significant, difficult and responsible Service to society, which can be compared with the selfless devotion of our doctors, who, while saving people's lives, will not ask a patient about their past 'sins,' or with the work of lawyers, who are obliged to impartially examine the circumstances of a case and defend the innocent."
"I will say only one thing: to the cries of 'they are irresponsible,' every time I want to say 'oh, yes! and sometimes you can't even imagine how much,' but I say what is written in the Constitution, and also words of support and gratitude to all the colleagues who every day throughout the world, sometimes gritting their teeth or rolling up their sleeves, do their work," M. Zakharova concludes.
Read on the topic:
Navai stated during interrogation that he bought the drugs in Kyrgyzstan - PHOTO - UPDATED
The lawyer of Navai, arrested in Kazakhstan, revealed the plan for his defense
Russia sent a note to the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan after Navai's arrest - UPDATED
Navai may leave the pretrial detention center ahead of schedule - DETAILS
Singer Navai began writing new songs right in the pretrial detention center in Kazakhstan
