[ad_1]
yesand Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is increasing pressure on Russia to help investigate the poisoning of Russian opposition activist Alexej Navalnyj. In view of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, the SPD politician said “Bild am Sonntag”: “I do not expect the Russians to force us to change our position on Nord Stream 2”. Until now, the federal government had a link with the Si Navalnyj avoided with the German-Russian gas project.
Maas also emphasized that stopping the nearly completed gas pipeline would also harm German and European companies: “Anyone demanding this must be aware of the consequences. More than 100 companies from twelve European countries are involved in Nord Stream 2, about half of them from Germany ”. Narrowing the debate down to Nord Stream 2 alone would not do the case justice. “If there are no contributions to the investigation from the Russian side in the coming days, we will have to discuss a response with our partners,” Maas clarified. “When we think of sanctions, they should be as selective as possible.”
Russia denies being involved in the poisoning of the 44-year-old opposition member, but according to Maas there is “a lot of evidence” for it. In the past, the Novichok neurotoxin was in the possession of the Russian authorities and is only accessible to a very small group of people. “And the poison has already been used by government agencies for the attack on former agent Sergei Skripal. If the Russian side does not participate in the investigation of the crime committed against Mr. Navalnyj, that would be another indication of the participation of the State. If it doesn’t go beyond covering up and smoking candles, we have to assume that Russia has something to hide, ”Maas said.
Increasing criticism of former Chancellor Schröder
Meanwhile, politicians from the CDU and the Greens have asked former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) to vacate his position at the Nord Stream 2 pipeline company. Deputy from the trade union faction Johann Wadephul (CDU) told the “Tagesspiegel” from Berlin: Schröder must “immediately leave his offices and posts in Russia.” The Russian government was solely responsible for the attack on Navalnyj with a neurotoxin. Even if Moscow denies its responsibility, a former federal chancellor should ignore it “neither politically nor morally,” the CDU politician said. He added: “If Mr. Schröder still possesses political decency and standards of value, then further cooperation with companies and institutions that depend on such a government is out of the question for him.”
Increasingly criticized: Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as Chairman of the Board of Nord Stream 2 AG
:
Image: dpa
Schröder is chairman of the board of directors of Nord Stream 2 AG, in which the Russian company Gazprom is formally the sole shareholder. Critics accuse the former chancellor of pressuring the Kremlin in office. According to a representative poll conducted by the opinion research institute Civey for the “Augsburger Allgemeine”, the majority of Germans are also in favor of Schröder resigning from his positions in Russian state-owned companies. 53.4 percent of those questioned are in favor of the former foreign minister withdrawing from the Navalnyj case as a consequence, only 33.1 percent of those questioned have no problem with their position. The rest is a tie.
