Brussels, Sep 17: On the last day of the plenary session, European Parliament lawmakers are set to vote on resolutions on the situation in Belarus and around Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, undergoing treatment in Germany after falling ill in Russia in August.
The draft document on Belarus that appeared Wednesday suggests adding Russian citizens involved in supporting the Belarusian regime to the EU’s sanctions list. MEPs also reject the results of the August 9 presidential elections in Belarus and express support to sanctions against Minsk.
The draft resolution on Navalny calls for a revision of the EU’s relations with Russia and continuation of its isolation at international forums. It also calls to terminate the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.
On August 20, Navalny fell ill during a domestic Russian flight. He was initially treated in the Siberian city of Omsk, where the plane had to urgently land. Two days later, once the doctors established he was fit for cross-border aerial transportation, the man was flown to the Charite hospital in Germany for further treatment.
Later, the German government said doctors had found traces of a nerve agent from the Novichok group in his system. Moscow responded by pointing out the lack of evidence in Berlin’s claims and noting that Russian doctors had found no toxic substances in Navalny.
The alleged poisoning of Navalny prompted many European officials to call for imposing additional sanctions on Russia. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said Moscow will respond reciprocally if the Western countries impose new sanctions over the Navalny case.
(AGENCIES)
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