Russian Foreign Ministry on Navalny Case: Situation Orchestrated to Justify New Sanctions
MOSCOW, November 6- Russia sees the case of opposition figure Alexey Navalny as a fabricated attempt to justify new sanctions against Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. “Any outside observer, who does not know much about chemistry and non-proliferation of chemical weapons, would naturally think that all that is happening is a performance directed by a…
(Adds more remarks from the ministry in paras 4-7, background in para 8)
MOSCOW, November 6 (Sputnik) – Russia sees the case of opposition figure Alexey Navalny as a fabricated attempt to justify new sanctions against Moscow, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.
“Any outside observer, who does not know much about chemistry and non-proliferation of chemical weapons, would naturally think that all that is happening is a performance directed by a non-professional and aiming to impose sanctions on Russia, which remains committed to its stance of not accepting any rules forced on it that are against its sovereignty, international law and common sense,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, Western countries have involved “the politically biased leadership of the OPCW.”
Commenting on the fact that Russia still did not receive any response from Germany, Sweden and France to its questions on Navalny case and requests on providing legal assistance, the ministry said Euro-Atlantic allies demonstrated the so-called conspiracy of silence involving the politically biased leadership of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
“What we have now is ‘conspiracy of silence’ by Euro-Atlantic allies with the involvement of the politically biased leadership of the once very authoritative and independent OPCW. It is obvious that in Berlin and other European capitals, they completely forget about international law when it comes to Russia, and prefer ‘megaphone diplomacy’ to mutually respectful dialogue,” the ministry said.
According to Moscow, what it received as a response more than two months after the first appeal does not stand up to criticism. In essence, it is the refusal of the German Prosecutor General’s Office to cooperate with Russian colleagues based on the lack of consent of Navalny, the ministry said.
In addition, requests from the ministry and Russian lawmakers and doctors were also left without answers, the ministry added.
The Russian opposition politician fell ill on a flight in August from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. He was later transported to Germany for treatment, where doctors said that they had found traces of Novichok in his system, although Russian doctors said that no such substances were found while he was being treated in Russia.