MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Moscow reacts to claims by Colombian Minister that Russia was behind the ongoing political unrest

Defense Minister Diego Molano had claimed Russia was behind protests in Colombia

Russia's Foreign Ministry summoned Colombian ambassador Alfonso Lopez Caballero following remarks by Bogotá's Defense Minister Diego Molano, who claimed that Moscow was behind ”cyberattacks” linked to the political unrest the South Amerian country is going through.

Molano made the statement in the context of alleged foreign intervention aimed at instigating internal political instability and mass protests in Colombia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.

Russia has more than once invited Colombia to enter into a dialogue in the field of international cybersecurity and it remains prepared for such cooperation, the Foreign Ministry said.

“If the Colombian side has confirmed evidence of cyberattacks and is genuinely interested in establishing their origin, there are official channels of information exchanges and the corresponding infrastructure for this,” the statement elaborates.

“Russia's agency in charge is the National Center for Computer Incidents. At a certain point, the Russian agencies concerned presented a draft treaty on legal assistance, but the Colombian side refused to discuss it. Once again we are calling upon our partners to respond to our calls to avoid misunderstanding in the future.”

Russia has thus confirmed its will to cooperate with the Colombian counterparts on the whole range of issues for the sake of maintaining relations “in the spirit of friendship and mutual respect that have historically linked Russia and Colombia.”

Earlier, Molano told the dailies El Mundo and El Tiempo Russia was behind protests in Colombia. The country has seen demonstrations against the tax reform since April 28. The unrest occurred in Bogota, Cali, Medellin and other cities. More than 1,900 people were hurt and no less than 42 others killed. The government eventually agreed to revise the reform plans. The minister of finance resigned, but protests have continued.

Source: TASS