Heiko Maas
Germany aims to maintain good or “at least reasonable” relations with Russia, despite the situation with blogger Alexei Navalny. Such plans in an interview with RIA Novosti were revealed by the country's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
“We are a country that lives on trade and scientific exchange. For this reason alone, we want to maintain good relations with all our neighbors, based on clear rules and mutual respect, ”he stressed. The diplomat noted that the situation with Navalny does not change geography, and therefore will not change Berlin's interest in good relations with Moscow.
The minister added that Germany has made a lot of efforts to establish ties with Russia. According to him, most often of his colleagues he meets with the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergei Lavrov. In addition, the societies of Russia and the Federal Republic of Germany maintain close ties at the level of art, education, science and economics.
Earlier on October 12, the foreign ministers of the EU countries made a decision on sanctions against Russia, which will be introduced due to the situation with Navalny. This was confirmed by Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy of the EU. At the same time, he did not specify which decision was made, but said that all the participants in the meeting approved it.
Navalny became ill on August 20 during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. In the first two days, doctors from the Omsk hospital helped him. They also introduced him to an artificial coma. On August 22, the patient was sent to a clinic in Berlin, whose doctors announced the discovery of traces of a substance from the Novichok group in Navalny's body.
