MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - Nigerian authorities are testing Russian-Nigerian relations to the limit by dragging out the sailors' case, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told a Thursday press briefing.
"Abuja (the Nigerian capital) seems to have decided to test to the limit the friendly relations that our countries have been forming for decades without considering possible negative consequences," he said.
"The Lagos state magistrate court decided on January 28 to extend for another two weeks, until February 14, the preliminary investigation of the case of 15 Russian sailors - crew members of the MV Myre Seadiver of Moran Security Group, which, I would like to remind you, protects commercial vessels in pirate-infested waters of the World Ocean," the diplomat said.
He said the Russians are suspected of staying in Nigerian territorial waters with allegedly undeclared armaments aboard. "No official charges have been brought against the compatriots," Lukashevich stressed.
"As we have stated before, we can see that the assurances of Nigerian officials that good will would be displayed towards our compatriots, and their prosecution done under far-fetched pretexts would be stopped proved to be untrue," the diplomat said.