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Navalny case puts German credibility on foreign policy to the test
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A specialist on board a deep-sea pipe-laying ship working on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline in the Baltic Sea in 2019. The pipeline project between Russia and Germany has long been controversial in the EU, and the chorus of critics has swelled with last year's attempt on the life of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny - who spent months recovering in Germany - as well as his ongoing persecution by Russia's law enforcement.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Germany often claims the moral high ground on foreign policy. Weapons shall not be exported to countries with bad human rights records, money will not be lent to governments that do nothing on environmental pollution and trade deals are not signed with those who violate international labour standards.
The policy, however, just as often runs into a dead end, with Russian dissident Alexei Navalny a case in point. Germany, where he recovered from a bout of poisoning, is now vehemently demanding his release from a Moscow prison but, at the same time, has also made it clear that it wants good business to continue with Russia.
