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Today, Germany and France denounced Russia’s “responsibility and responsibility” in poisoning the opposition Alexei Navalny by poisoning Novichok, indicating that it would propose concrete measures against him.
The warning from Foreign Ministers Heiko Maes and Jean-Yves Le Drian came a day after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons announced that a substance similar to Novichok, which has a military use, had been found in samples of Navalny, confirming the same conclusions from specialized laboratories in France and Sweden.
In a joint statement to them, “Russia has not provided any reasonable explanation” and, therefore, “there is no other possible explanation for the Navalny poisoning other than the existence of Russia’s responsibility and involvement.” And they announced that they would propose to their partners in the European Union to impose sanctions on people considered “responsible for this crime and this violation of international standards for their official work, and in a body involved in the Novichok program.”
Earlier, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the German parliament: “A chemical substance used in war has committed a serious violation of international law, and such a matter cannot go without consequences.”
He added: “It is clear that unless the facts are clear and the necessary information is not provided, it will not be possible to avoid specific and proportionate sanctions against the responsible parties on the Russian side.”
Navalny was flown to Germany in late August after falling ill on a plane and spending several days in a hospital in Siberia. He arrived in Berlin in a coma and was breathing with the help of a machine. He was discharged from the hospital on September 22, after a 32-day treatment at the Charité Hospital in the German capital, including 24 days in the intensive care unit. Despite his horrible experience, he said he would continue his activity upon his return to Russia.
Western powers demanded responses from Moscow, and Navalny himself accused Vladimir Putin of being behind their poisoning. But Russia vehemently rejected these accusations, criticizing on Tuesday a planned “conspiracy scenario”.
The case has cast a shadow on already tense relations between Russia and Germany, and comes a year after the murder of a former Chechen commander in Tiergarten park in central Berlin on orders from Moscow, according to German prosecutors. Today began the trial of a Russian suspect in the murder. The crime marked a turning point for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last May that the killing “disrupts trust-based cooperation” between Berlin and Moscow. The German chancellor has always stressed the importance of keeping the dialogue open with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but has stepped up her rhetoric in recent months.
Feudal lords and high officials
Pressure is mounting on Germany to cancel the ten billion euro ($ 12 billion) gas pipeline that will double Russian natural gas shipments to Germany due to the Navalny poisoning accident.
In response to a question during the parliamentary question period on whether the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project could be damaged, Maas indicated that any ban would be limited to individuals. He stated: “We have always said that all options are on the table, but we want to agree on a reaction with the European Union.” He noted that the pipeline project also includes other countries, including Austria, the Netherlands and more than a hundred European companies. “In our opinion and after the discussions we had, it is likely that the European Union will reach an agreement on the list of people” who will be sanctioned, he explained.
Today, Navalny urged the European Union to impose strict and specific sanctions on key figures in the government of President Vladimir Putin or those who support him, including preventing them from entering the bloc countries, in response to their poisoning.
In an interview with the German newspaper “Bild”, the Kremlin opponent referred to Valery Gergiev, the conductor of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, as a person who should be held accountable for his support of Putin.
“It is the most appropriate example. You have to put pressure on these types of people,” said Navalny, who is recovering in Berlin after being poisoned. “People like him should be banned from entering. 99 percent of Russians would appreciate it,” he added.
Navalny stressed that “the Russian people should not be harmed by any embargo decision that is adopted.” “The most important thing is to impose an entry ban on the personalities who benefit from the system and freeze their assets,” he said. Among them, he mentioned members of Russia’s wealthy and influential class and “high-ranking officials and Putin’s inner circle.”
Russia has been raising the discontent of Western countries for years, due to the annexation of Crimea by Ukraine, interference in the elections and support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Merkel had also revealed in May that Russia had targeted her in piracy attacks, saying she had concrete evidence of “shameful” espionage attempts.
