Business Maverick: Germany Uses Novichok as Leverage With Kremlin Over Gas Pipeline

It was the first time a cabinet minister in Merkel’s government explicitly linked the fate of the Baltic Sea pipeline to Russia’s cooperation in an inquiry.

“More than 100 companies from 12 European countries are part of Nord Stream 2, about half of those from Germany,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “I certainlyThe German military’s finding this week that Navalny was attacked with a novichok nerve agent has put pressure on Merkel’s controversial backing of Nord Stream 2, which will ship Russian gas directly to Europe’s largest economy.

Later in the day, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who is also the head of Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, drew a similar link between Russian cooperation and the gas pipeline in comments to Reuters on Sunday. Asked whether Germany is now ready to sanction the project, she said “what happens now depends on the behavior of the Russian side.”

Some top opposition lawmakers have demanded the project be halted, and NATO this week condemned Moscow for the “appalling” attempted assassination of Navalny. However, there is still little appetite within Merkel’s coalition to abandon Nord Stream.that neither Merkel’s Christian Democratic-led bloc nor her Social Democratic partner is likely to rally around the demand, according to three Bundestag officials, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the discussions.

Russia has been linked to two different poisonings carried out in the U.K., with novichok suspected in the attempted murder in 2018 of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil., calling the use of chemical weapons “pure gangsterism.”

South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

MAVERICK LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY: Pawsers of note: the show catsWith real life events cancelled for most of 2020, we looked into the Getty archives for a short and incomplete yet highly enjoyable gallery of cat shows.
Source: dailymaverick - 🏆 3. / 84 Read more »

Getting into the minds of bad tenantsNew app uses neuroscience and artificial intelligence to help weed out unsuitable applicants
Source: SundayTimesZA - 🏆 47. / 51 Read more »

Mpumalanga community pleads with government to fix dilapidated schoolA community just outside eMalahleni in Mpumalanga is pleading with government to fix a school in very poor condition.
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

The Comeback Series: Mama Bongi - Eat Out
Source: News24 - 🏆 4. / 80 Read more »

Businesses target local tourists as borders remain closedFollowing a five-month lockdown, South Africa is easing domestic travel restrictions, allowing hotels to reopen.
Source: eNCA - 🏆 49. / 51 Read more »

Tourism businesses turning to technology to survive Covid stormCompanies are embracing ideas such as online virtual reality tours to bring experiences into homes and cushion them from lockdown's financial blow
Source: BDliveSA - 🏆 12. / 63 Read more »