01:45Belgium: NATO Secretary-General says 'proof beyond doubt' Navalny was poisoned
Following an urgent meeting in Brussels on Friday, Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General, said there is 'proof beyond doubt' Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned.
"There is proof beyond doubt that Mr Navalny was poisoned by using military nerve grade agent from the Novichok group. The use of such weapon is horrific, all allies today were united in condemning this attack. Any use of chemical weapons shows a total disrespect for human lives and is an unacceptable breach of international norms and rules," Stoltenberg told reporters following a NATO council meeting, which had been organised to discuss the latest developments in the Navalny case.
"We also call on Russia to provide complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). Time and again, we have seen opposition leaders and critics of the Russian regime attacked and their lives threatened. Some have even been killed," he further added, saying that "those responsible for this attack must be held accountable and brought to justice."
On Thursday, Lukashenko claimed that Germany's statement about Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny's poisoning is fake, speaking in Minsk at a meeting with Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Germany announced that tests conducted on Navalny showed the Kremlin critic had been attacked with the nerve agent Novichok on Tuesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference that Navalny was "the victim of a crime" and that "there are very difficult questions which only the Russian government can and must answer."
The Kremlin has rejected Germany's accusations that Russia was to blame, with Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov commenting it saw no grounds for sanctions to be imposed against it over Navalny's case.
The Russian opposition leader remains in a serious condition at the Charite hospital in Berlin, where he arrived on August 22.
01:45Mandatory Credit: NATO
Following an urgent meeting in Brussels on Friday, Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary-General, said there is 'proof beyond doubt' Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was poisoned.
"There is proof beyond doubt that Mr Navalny was poisoned by using military nerve grade agent from the Novichok group. The use of such weapon is horrific, all allies today were united in condemning this attack. Any use of chemical weapons shows a total disrespect for human lives and is an unacceptable breach of international norms and rules," Stoltenberg told reporters following a NATO council meeting, which had been organised to discuss the latest developments in the Navalny case.
"We also call on Russia to provide complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). Time and again, we have seen opposition leaders and critics of the Russian regime attacked and their lives threatened. Some have even been killed," he further added, saying that "those responsible for this attack must be held accountable and brought to justice."
On Thursday, Lukashenko claimed that Germany's statement about Russian anti-corruption campaigner Alexei Navalny's poisoning is fake, speaking in Minsk at a meeting with Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Germany announced that tests conducted on Navalny showed the Kremlin critic had been attacked with the nerve agent Novichok on Tuesday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference that Navalny was "the victim of a crime" and that "there are very difficult questions which only the Russian government can and must answer."
The Kremlin has rejected Germany's accusations that Russia was to blame, with Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov commenting it saw no grounds for sanctions to be imposed against it over Navalny's case.
The Russian opposition leader remains in a serious condition at the Charite hospital in Berlin, where he arrived on August 22.