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Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder was slow to comment on the Navalny case. On his current podcast “Gerhard Schröder – The Agenda” the time had come. But the 76-year-old’s reaction was sobering. Schröder is not clear about the responsibility for the poisoning of the Russian opposition. “What is currently being done is essentially speculation because … there are no reliable facts,” he said. Schröder described the German government’s demand to Moscow to fully investigate the case as justified. But he also asked that the information be made available to the Russian authorities through mutual legal assistance.
There is criticism of the statements of the other parties. CSU Deputy Secretary General Florian Hahn is more obvious. “I have the biggest doubts as to whether Gerhard #Schröder the title of “retired federal chancellor” is still worthy, “he wrote on Twitter.
The former chancellor puts his party in an uncomfortable situation. Foreign politicians keep a low profile. They didn’t want to update it, they said. Several foreign politicians in the SPD parliamentary group declined to comment on Schröder’s remarks when asked. The Foreign Ministry, headed by SPD Minister Heiko Maas, also declined to comment.
However, the harsh criticism comes from the SPD secretary of state in Berlin and former deputy spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office, Sawsan Chebli. “It is sad to see how he has lost the moral compass. An opponent, a person, is cruelly poisoned and Gerhard Schröder justifies the diversionary maneuvers of the Kremlin,” he told SPIEGEL about Schröder. There are politicians whose advice and experience remain valuable even after 50 years. “Because they are inspired by attitude. Egon Bahr was one of them. Gerhard Schröder is not one of them for me. That hurts because I once thought Schröder was our best.”
The leader of the Schleswig-Holstein parliamentary group, Ralf Stegner, speaks of an inappropriate statement by Schröder. “The podcast or interview policy is not helpful in such cases,” he told SPIEGEL. “The expectation that Russia will contribute to the investigation is not only justified, it is necessary. In this sense, the ex-Foreign Minister’s statements are not at all useful at the moment. Commenting on Nord Stream 2 is one thing, but with Navalny it is necessary now. “. Education and not podcasts. “
Schröder worked closely with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his time as chancellor and remains a good friend of him today. After the end of his political career, the former SPD leader held various managerial positions in the Russian energy industry. In addition to his position at Nord Stream 2, he is chairman of the supervisory board of the Russian state energy company Rosneft and chairman of the board of the current Nord Stream gas pipeline.
Navalny collapsed on a domestic flight in Russia in August and was later transferred to the Charité hospital in Berlin for treatment. He was there in an artificial coma for weeks, but has since been released and is still in Berlin. Russia denies all accusations of being involved in the case.
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