Russia 'attentively' follows developments in Guinea

MOSCOW

Russia attentively follows the developments in Guinea, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

Moscow wishes the situation in the country after the coup to calm down as soon as possible and expects that the interests of the Russian companies working there will not be affected, Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

"We are closely following what is happening in Guinea. We would like to see the situation in Guinea return to the legal track as soon as possible. In any case, we expect that the business interests of our entrepreneurs and our companies will not be affected and will be ensured," he said.

On Sunday, a Guinean military junta staged a coup, ending the third term of President Alpha Conde.

Conde, in power for more than a decade, was detained by soldiers led by Col. Mamadi Doumbouya, who accused the president of personalizing politics and not doing enough to improve the country's economic and social conditions.

The move was protested by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who strongly condemned "any takeover of the government by force of the gun" and called for "the immediate release of President Alpha Conde."