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CDU politician Röttgen: "Completing Nord Stream 2 as planned would be such damage"
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Federico Gambarini / dpa
After the results of the OPCW investigation in the Navalny case, the CDU foreign politician Norbert Röttgen has called for an immediate halt to construction on the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
The illegal use of the Russian nerve agent Novitschok against Kremlin critic Alexej Navalny must have "noticeable consequences," Röttgen told SPIEGEL.
The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee warned that the EU must immediately impose sanctions on Russia.
Röttgen emphasized that the EU's foreign policy credibility would be at stake if a tough reaction was not quickly agreed.
"Completing Nord Stream 2 as planned would be such damage," said Röttgen.
He had previously spoken out in favor of at least putting the pipeline project to the test.
The Greens also called for rapid punitive measures against Russia.
"After Ms. Merkel's harsh words five weeks ago, concrete measures must now follow," said foreign policy official Omid Nouripour to SPIEGEL.
"Anything else would make Germany untrustworthy," said Nouripour.
The OPCW confirmed on Tuesday that Navalny had been poisoned with a chemical neurotoxin from the Novichok group.
Traces of banned chemical substances were found in Navalny's blood and urine, the organization said.
The results of the reference laboratories commissioned by the OPCW agreed with the results that had already been achieved by special laboratories in Germany, Sweden and France, said the spokesman for the federal government, Steffen Seibert.
"This again confirms the unequivocal evidence that Alexej Navalny was the victim of an attack with a chemical nerve agent from the Novitschok group," said a press release.
"The German government renews its call on Russia to explain what happened."
According to the information, the federal government is currently examining the detailed report of the OPCW.
In the coming days there will be a close exchange between the executive board of the control authority and the group of EU partners about the next steps.
"Every use of chemical weapons is a serious process and cannot be without consequences," said Seibert.
OPCW Director General Fernando Arias said these results were "extremely worrying".
Criticism of the OPCW analysis came from Russia.
Foreign policy official Leonid Sluzki told the Interfax agency that the conclusions were politically biased.
"They only confirm what the organizers of the largest anti-Russian provocation called Navalnys wanted to hear."
Will the next EU summit produce a clear stance?
Navalny collapsed on August 20 while on a domestic flight in Russia.
After an emergency landing in the Siberian city of Omsk, he was brought to Berlin for further treatment.
The 44-year-old has since left the hospital and is doing rehabilitation in the German capital.
The opposition is one of the sharpest critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The heads of state and government of the European Union want to deal with the case again at their next summit next week.
Then there could also be a joint response from the 27 Member States.
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