Russia urges Germany to use channels on criminal cases

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday he was unaware what Germany meant by "lack of cooperation," as it expelled Russian diplomats for the murder of a Chechen asylum-seeker in Berlin.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) ministerial meeting in Slovakia, Lavrov said Germany should use special channels on criminal cooperation with Russia.

"We have channels with Germany for law enforcement agencies to communicate, including on issues relating to violations of the legislation of a country, these channels should be used,” he said. “If our German partners claim that Russia did not cooperate enough, I do not know on what they base such assessments.”

Germany expelled two Russian diplomats Wednesday for Moscow's alleged role in the murder of 40-year-old Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, in Berlin.

Manana Tsatieva, Khangoshvili's ex-wife, told German international broadcaster Deutsche Welle that she believes her late husband's history likely motivated the attack.

Khangoshvili fought against Russians during the Second Chechen War from 1999 to 2009, and worked in both Georgia and Ukraine against Russian interests, according to Deutsche Welle.

Tsatieva said Khangoshvili escaped to Germany in 2016 after multiple attempts against his life in Georgia, but was denied asylum here. He was scheduled for deportation.