The Kremlin condemned "strong pressure" during the election of the Interpol president

The election of the president of Interpol today in Dubai, in which the South Korean candidate defeated the Russian candidate, was marked by "strong pressure", Kremlin spokesman Dimitriy Peskov said.

"It's a shame, of course, that our candidate didn't win. However, on the other hand, if we look impartially at the statements of a number of countries before the vote, it's obvious that there was strong pressure," Peskov said, France Press reports citing Russian agencies.

Peskov said the election was held under unprecedented pressure, but added that Moscow had no reason to dispute the result.

"Elections are elections. In this case, the candidate of South Korea won. We regret that it is not our candidate, but there is no reason to disagree with the result of the vote," Peskov said.

South Korean Kim Jong Young was elected president of Interpol earlier today at the annual session of the Interpol General Assembly in Dubai. He defeated the Russian candidate, police general Alexander Prokopchuk, who was opposed by the USA, the European allies of the USA and the Russian opposition.

The spokeswoman of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Irina Volk, said that the Russian candidate for the president of Interpol, Aleksandar Prokopchuk, will continue to work in that international police organization as a vice president, AP reports.

Volk told Interfax that Prokopchuk will keep his current position and continue to "focus on improving Interpol's position in the international police community and improving its effectiveness."

Germany congratulated the newly elected president of Interpol and warned against the politicization of the global police agency.

German Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer said that the priority of the new president should be to ensure the stability and continuity of Interpol's work after the sudden departure of his Chinese predecessor.

"All efforts to politicize the organization and its work should be opposed," said Seehofer.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he was very proud of the election of his compatriot Kim Jong-yang as president of Interpol. He stated in a Twitter message that Kim was the first citizen of South Korea to be elected to the highest position in Interpol, and congratulated him and all South Koreans, the AP agency reports.

Kim said that the election was a national victory and that he expected it to increase South Korea's international reputation and role.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov called the election of a South Korean candidate to head Interpol a victory for his country.

Ukraine, along with Western countries and Russian oppositionists, was firmly against the Russian police official at the head of Interpol.

Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky called the election of the South Korean candidate a "joint victory".

"Common sense prevailed. The Kremlin was trying to bring in its man - one who for years helped the authorities persecute their opponents," tweeted Khodorkovsky, who spent ten years in a Russian prison on charges deemed politically motivated.