"Yes, we have expressed to the US side our commitment to invoke the Council of Europe convention [on the transfer of sentenced persons] and hand over a US citizen or citizens held in Russian prisons," Konstantin Dolgov told the Russian TV channel, Rossiya 24.
The health of Konstantin Yaroshenko imprisoned in the United States on charges of drug smuggling continues to raise concerns, along with the quality of the medical assistance he is given, Dolgov said.
"His medical condition is still a great source of concern, which Konstantin himself confirms. Let me tell you, I talked to him on the phone a while ago, he was talking from the prison and he confirmed he had a number of serious medical issues," Dolgov told the Rossiya 24 television broadcaster.
Dolgov added that Yaroshenko was in need of a comprehensive medical assessment, preferably in Russia. He also stressed that Moscow found Yaroshenko's lack of access to medical care extremely upsetting and was focusing on bringing him back to Russia.
Yaroshenko, a Russian pilot sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring to import more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States, was arrested in Liberia in 2010 and extradited to US authorities.
Yaroshenko has claimed to be set up and mistreated while in US custody.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Justice Minister confirmed having received a request for transfer from Yaroshenko’s defense attorney.
In 2011, Yaroshenko was sentenced to 20 years in prison on allegations of conspiring to import more than $100 million worth of cocaine into the United States. He was captured in Liberia in 2010 and turned in to the United States, prompting protests from Moscow.
