German Coordinator For Russia Speaks Against New Sanctions Over Navalny's Arrest

(@FahadShabbir)

German Coordinator for Russia Speaks Against New Sanctions Over Navalny's Arrest

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) Johann Saathoff, the German coordinator for Russia, has objected to imposing new economic sanctions or halting the Nord Stream 2 gas link construction over the jailing of a Russian opposition activist.

Alexey Navalny was arrested upon his arrival from Germany last weekend allegedly for violating probation terms, prompting his allies to call for a protest on Saturday. Thousands demonstrated across Russia. Around 1,000 people were detained in Moscow alone.

"breaking off economic relations the moment you run into political difficulties will not solve the problem," Saathoff said in an interview with a German daily, the Saarbruecker Zeitung.

Saathoff, who is also a lawmaker from the Social Democratic Party, argued that the construction of the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline bore no connection to Navalny's arrest. "The two topics have nothing in common," he said.

EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss protests and agree the next step, which may include more sanctions on Russia. The European Parliament, which is EU's advisory body, called for restrictive measures this week and demanded that the pipeline project be scrapped.