NATO calls on Russia to shed light on the poisoning of Alexei Navalny

Alexei Navalny participating in a march in memory of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in Moscow on February 29, 2020. AP Photo / Pavel Golovkin

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

After the German announcement of poisoning of the opponent Alexeï Navalny due to the Russian nerve agent Novichok, the tone is mounting between the "Westerners" and Moscow.

This affair brings back fresh hints of the cold war.

The European Union condemns the poisoning of the opponent and NATO held an extraordinary meeting on Friday 4 September devoted to this affair.

The Atlantic Alliance calls on Russia to reveal its entire Novichok program.

Publicity

Read more

With our correspondent in Brussels,

Germany presented, Friday, September 4 in front of its 29 allies of NATO, evidence qualified as irrefutable showing that

.

Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to shed light on the poisoning of the Russian opponent.

According to him, Russia has a duty to communicate to the OPCW (International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), based in The Hague, all the elements of the Novichok neurotoxic program.

For the moment, the Atlantic Alliance does not mention any follow-up.

But some are already considering the possibility of expulsions of diplomats from the Russian mission to the Alliance, as after the

in 2014, then after the poisoning in England of

and his daughter Yulia in 2018. .

Germany briefed Allies on their specialists' findings in the poisoning of Alexey Navalny.

All #NATO Allies condemn this attack.

We call on Russia to provide complete disclosure of the Novichok program to @OPCW & to cooperate with an impartial, international investigation.

pic.twitter.com/kUTh3ntrPe

  Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) September 4, 2020

Moscow takes these threats "

NATO Secretary General goes so far as to call for an impartial international investigation, echoing the European Union's demands, even though the latter admits that Russia has a poor record in investigating attacks against its opponents.

Lithuania has called for the matter to be discussed by the 27 at the next EU summit in three weeks.

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, raised with him the possibility of restrictive measures, that is to say personal, financial or commercial sanctions, like those already in place in the Union since the annexation of Crimea .

Threats that Moscow ignores.

“ 

 ” replied Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Russia

• Nato

• Germany

• Diplomacy

• European Union

On the same subject

Navalny: in Germany, critical voices demand an end to Russian gas dependence

Navalny: after Berlin poisoning accusations, Moscow awaits proof