The Netherlands supports calls made by Germany and France for anti-Russian sanctions as a joint EU reaction to the alleged poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said on Wednesday.
In a joint statement earlier in the day, the foreign ministers of France and Germany claimed that the Russian opposition activist was poisoned with "a military-grade nerve agent from the 'Novichok' group developed by Russia," and said they would send proposals to European countries on sanctions in this regard. The Russian Foreign Ministry slammed the joint Berlin-Paris statement as unacceptable.
"We share the conclusion of Germany and France that there is no other plausible explanation for #Navalny's poisoning than Russian involvement & responsibility. At the next EU-Council we will therefore support the call for sanctions," Blok tweeted.
On Tuesday, the Orgzation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said that a substance similar to Novichok, but not included on the lists of banned chemicals, had been found in Navalny's system. Russia denies all allegations and insists that nerve agents are not being developed in the country.
On August 20, Navalny fell ill on a domestic flight in Russia. He was initially treated in the Siberian city of Omsk, but was later transferred to the Berlin-based Charite hospital. The opposition activist was discharged from the Charite hospital on September 23 and is expected to make a full recovery. (/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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