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Of: TT
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Photo: Aleksej Navalnyj / Instagram / AP / TT
Alexei Navalny surrounded by his wife Julia Navalnaya and son Zahar Navalny during rehabilitation in Germany.
Under the threat of EU sanctions, Germany and France accuse the Russian authorities of “interference and responsibility” in the poisoning of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny.
Navalny, a longtime critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, collapsed on a plane in Russia on August 20. After concerns about medical care in Russia, the opposition leader flew to Germany. Three Western European laboratories and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have determined that he was poisoned with the novitjok neurotoxin produced by the Soviet Union.
A joint statement by French and German foreign ministers Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas said on Wednesday that their countries had repeatedly asked Moscow for a report on what happened, but that “Russia has so far not given any credible explanation. “
“In this context, we believe that there is no reasonable explanation for the Navalny poisoning other than Russian interference,” the statement continued.
The foreign ministers will also influence other EU countries to impose sanctions on “people who are held responsible for this crime and violations of international standards, based on their official position, as well as a body involved in the novitiate program” , He says.
“Serious offense”
Earlier on Wednesday, Heiko Maas made it clear to German MPs that sanctions are expected unless Moscow makes a credible statement.
“A serious violation of international law was committed with a chemical weapon, and such a thing cannot happen without consequences,” he said.
– It is clear that the incident has not been resolved. If the necessary information is not provided, specific and proportionate sanctions against the Russian side will be inevitable, Maas continued.
Angry Russian response
The Kremlin has always denied its involvement in what happened to Navalny, and Moscow is reacting to the Franco-German statement with great anger:
“The statement by the two ministers, unacceptable in content and tone, indicates the categorical unwillingness of Paris and Berlin to consider the facts,” wrote Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
He also accuses France and Germany of “threats and attempts to blackmail us.”
Navalny, 44, was released from the hospital, but remains in Germany to be rehabilitated. He recently said that this could take a couple more months, but has made it clear that he intends to return to Russia.
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