MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. German Ambassador to Russia Geza Andreas von Geyr stated during a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday that Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny’s case is not a bilateral matter, a message by the German Embassy in Moscow in possession of TASS informs.
The embassy pointed out that the German ambassador had discussed the situation around Navalny during a meeting with Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov, which was planned long beforehand.
"During the talks with the First Deputy Foreign Minister, Ambassador von Geyr stressed once again that this case is not a matter of the bilateral German-Russian agenda. He cited statements made by the EU, NATO, the G7, and many other states," the message informs.
The embassy noted that the ambassador had made the German government’s position on the Navalny situation clear. "Therefore, Russia should now provide an explanation regarding the use of a toxic nerve agent on its territory condemned by the international community in an attempt on the life of a Russian citizen and opposition politician," the embassy stated. "The ambassador informed that due to the use of a prohibited toxic agent, the OPCW, which monitors adherence to the Chemical Weapons Convention that Russia is a part of, has been informed and involved in the investigation process of the case."
On Wednesday, the German ambassador was summoned by the Russian Foreign Ministry. Russia expressed its protest to the ambassador over the accusations made by the German government regarding the situation with Navalny. The ministry demanded that Germany provide a detailed answer to the official request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office dated August 27, 2020 asking to provide details on Navalny’s treatment, diagnosis and test results, and to present a copy of the patient’s medical records and biological materials for comparative research. If Berlin does not respond to Russia’s request, the Russian Foreign Ministry will consider it a "blatant hostile provocation," which "is fraught with consequences for Russian-German relations" and may complicate the international situation, the ministry stated.
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny was rushed to a local hospital in the Siberian city of Omsk on August 20 after collapsing on the Tomsk-Moscow flight. He fell into a coma and was hooked up to a ventilator in the intensive care unit. On August 22, he was airlifted to the Charite hospital in Berlin. Last week, the German government claimed that Navalny had been poisoned with a Novichok-type toxic agent.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later that Russia is ready for comprehensive cooperation with Germany. He noted that before Navalny was transferred to Berlin, no toxic substances had been found in his system.
On September 7, the German clinic informed that Navalny had been brought out of a coma, and that he is gradually being taken off artificial ventilation.
On September 7, the German clinic informed that Navalny had been brought out of a coma, and that he is gradually being taken off artificial ventilation.