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reGermany wants to discuss the case of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny with the European Union and NATO. The federal government announced that the next steps should be discussed with partners. He had previously announced that Bundeswehr experts had proven “beyond all doubt” that Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok group chemical nerve agent. Western heads of state and government asked Moscow to make a statement.
With the poison found The debate over the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline has flared up again. The leader of the FDP party, Christian Lindner, said in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”: “A regime that organizes poisonous assassinations is not a partner for large cooperation projects, not even for oil pipeline projects.” that Nord Stream 2 is a geopolitical project, not a private company, ”Lambsdorff told WELT.
In Europe they see it in exactly the same way: “Scandinavians, Baltics, Poles, French, they all viewed the project with great skepticism even before the attack on Navalny and are permanently unhappy about Germany’s solo effort.” . “Construction cannot continue in these circumstances,” he said.
Manuel Sarrazin, spokesman for Greens policy in Eastern Europe, expressed a similar opinion: “Every cubic meter of Russian gas lubricates a criminal system that silences critics in Russia or even kills them and keeps despots in power. in Syria or Belarus “. It will also be compatible with Nord Stream 2. “So we finally need the clear rejection of the pipeline.”
Foreign CDU politician Norbert Röttgen also advocated tough action against the leadership in Moscow. The issue of natural gas deliveries should also be on the table, Röttgen told Deutschlandfunk. He is not in favor of cutting off these deliveries entirely. But now you have to put everything to the test. According to Röttgen, Russian President Putin must now be under pressure on the issue of natural gas sales. “The only language Putin understands is that of toughness,” he stressed. “There has to be a European political response,” Röttgen said.
On the other hand, the head of CSU, Markus Söder, was cautious about the orders to end Nord Stream 2. “From our point of view, one thing has nothing to do with the other,” he said. The SPD parliamentary group’s foreign policy spokesman, Nils Schmid, is also skeptical of the demands. “Using oil and gas as political weapons is a double-edged effort. We haven’t done it in the last 60 years for good reasons. “
“A clear advantage is required,” says Ischinger
The head of the Munich Security Conference, Wolfgang Ischinger, warned of a boycott. “We need Russia in climate policy, in Ukraine’s policy, in many other areas. We cannot now, as it were, build a wall between the West and Russia, “Morgenmagazin” said on Thursday in the ARD.
However, the case requires an appropriate response from the federal government: “I think a clear advantage is required.” When it comes to measures against Russia, Germany must strike a balance between diplomatic gestures and a total boycott.
He also believes that the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline should be analyzed: “If we want to send a clear message to Moscow, then economic relations must be on the agenda. And that would actually mean that you can […] Nord Stream 2 cannot be left out ”. But Ischinger also stressed that the pipeline was nearing completion and that abandoning the project would be “a very complex issue.”
“Nord Stream 2’s opponents are trying to sink the project”
The left-wing parliamentary group’s economic policy spokesman, Klaus Ernst, criticized CDU foreign expert Röttgen’s demand for a review of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project. “Despite the very serious process surrounding the poisoning of Alexej Navalny, Nord Stream 2 must be completed, “said Ernst, who is chairman of the Bundestag’s economic committee, WELT. The requirement to test the project is “absolutely counterproductive. Not only for Russia, but also for us ”. If Nord Stream 2 is stopped, the German customer will pay the bill. “The opponents of Nord Stream 2 are now trying to use the events to sink the project in the Baltic Sea.”
Ernst also criticized the reaction of the German government, which had summoned the Russian ambassador. “Once again, Russia is blamed across the board and without sufficient evidence,” says Ernst. Instead of publicly adopting a harsh pace, the federal government should have sought talks with the Russians and agreed on a joint approach to the investigation, he said. an important relationship at stake. “The question must be who would benefit from the events.” The process does not benefit Russia, Europe or Germany. It mainly benefits the US, in whose economic interests it is that our relationship with Russia is deteriorating. “
Asked if he trusts Russia for sensible investigations, Ernst said: “From my point of view, Vladimir Putin is interested in conducting sensible and transparent investigations.” But he doubts that this is possible. “If some secret service operating around the world was involved, it will be extremely difficult to uncover the truth.”
The head of AfD, Tino Chrupalla, also contradicted Röttgen’s request. “There is no question: the poison attack on Navalny must be clarified. But we must not mix it up with energy policy, “he says.” This is how the federal government is endangering German energy security. No stops on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline! “
The Eastern Committee for the German Economy also ruled against the cancellation of the natural gas project. “We believe that it is wrong to react to the Navalny poisoning with more economic sanctions, which would then again affect completely unrelated companies and the Russian population,” said the president of the Eastern Committee, Oliver Hermes.
The federal government announced on Wednesday that Putin’s notorious opponent, Navalny, had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent belonging to the Novitschok group, according to the Charité Clinic in Berlin. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the German information as unfounded, according to the RIA news agency. Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) asked the Russian government to explain.
Russia doubted the information provided by the federal government
More recently, he rejected a link between the Navalny case and the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, saying the pipeline should be completed. The Foreign Ministry appointed the Russian ambassador. The federal government also wanted to contact the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
Russia doubted the information provided by the German government about the Navalny poisoning. Germany would rather make public statements without presenting evidence than conduct a full investigation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Sakharova said on Wednesday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov stressed that Russia is ready to cooperate, but German authorities have so far not responded to questions from the attorney general and Russian doctors Navalny and have not relayed any information.
Former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were also poisoned in Britain along with Novichok in 2018. They both survived after weeks in critical condition, one resident died. Because the Soviet-era poison was made exclusively in Russia, according to Western experts, the Russian government was responsible for the case. She rejected that.
Relations between Britain and Russia were also put to the test at that time. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday that the use of a chemical warfare agent was outrageous. White House spokesman for the National Security Council, John Ullyot, made a similar statement. Italy also asked Russia to make a statement. The EU Foreign Affairs representative, Josep Borrell, spoke of a “violation of international law” by using chemical weapons.
Doctors had already talked about poisoning last week
Navalny suddenly collapsed on August 20 on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. After treatment in a hospital in Omsk, Siberia, he was transferred to the Charité in Berlin, where doctors had already mentioned signs of poisoning last week. On Wednesday, the Charité announced that the symptoms of the poisoning were subsiding, but Navalny was still in the intensive care unit and was artificially ventilated. Long-term consequences cannot be ruled out.
After the latest findings from Berlin were released, Navalny’s longtime colleague Leonid Volkov tweeted: “Poisoning Navalny 2020 with Novitschok is exactly the same as leaving an autograph like this at the crime scene.” He also distributed an autograph card for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
