French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday defended his decision to grant French citizenship to Pavel Durov, the CEO of the messaging app, Telegram.

Durov received French nationality in 2021 via a special process reserved for those deemed to have made a special contribution to France.

Granting the Telegram founder French nationality was "good for our country," Macron told reporters during a visit to Serbia.

He also mentioned Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel, who like Durov won French citizenship via the process for ''merited foreigners.''

Macron said he "totally" backed the citizenship decision, adding it was a "strategy" concerning those who "make the effort to learn the French language" and who "shine in the world."

Macron says he was not planning to meet Telegram founder

Macron said Thursday he was unaware that Durov was coming to France after local media quoted Durov as telling police upon arrest that he was planning to meet with the French president.

''I was absolutely not aware of Mr. Durov's arrival in France,'' Macron said. ''It is false that I offered any kind of invitation to him.''

His arrest was ''an independent act of French justice,'' he added.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned France against turning the case into "political persecution."

Noting that Durov is a "Russian citizen," Peskov said, "we will be watching what happens next."

Durov is also a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, where Telegram is based. A UAE government official said it "prioritizes the welfare of its citizens" and was "in touch with the French authorities about this case."

Why was Pavel Durov arrested?

Durov was arrested at a Paris airport on Saturday on a warrant related to Telegram's lack of content moderation and alleged criminal activity on the platform.

His decision to fly to France where there was an arrest warrant waiting for him has raised speculation of whether he did not know about the warrant or knew about it but came anyway.

Durov's supporters, Durov was arrested at a Paris airport on Saturday have criticized the arrest.

However, he has also been accused of allowing his popular messaging app to turn into a hotbed for cybercriminals.

Durov's lawyer David-Olivier Kaminski said it was "absurd" to suggest Durov could be implicated in any crime committed on the app. "Telegram complies in all respects with European rules concerning digital technology," the lawyer added.

Durov was granted conditional release on Wednesday on a €5 million ($5.5 million) bail. He was also banned from leaving France and ordered to report to a police station twice a week pending further investigation.

sri/wd (AFP, AP)