Germany rejects sanctions call against former chancellor over Russia ties

Berlin  :   The German government on Monday rejected a call to impose European Union (EU) sanctions on former chancellor Gerhard Schroeder (SPD) due to his professional connections to Russia.

"The federal government and the chancellor do not see any reason to consider such measures," Xinhua quoted Steffen Seibert, official spokesperson for Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU), as saying.

Seibert's comments were a response to corresponding suggestions made earlier by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.

Speaking to newspaper Bild, Klimkin had described Schroeder as "Putin's globally most important lobbyist" and urged the EU to "assess how it can react."

The former chancellor is known to have an amicable relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report claimed.

After his political retirement in 2005, he joined the gas producer Gazprom and has acted as chairman of the board at the state-owned gas oil company Rosneft since 2017.

Schroeder has denied assertions that Rosneft constituted the "extended arm of the Russian government," noting that several international public and private entities such as BP, the state of Qatar and Glencore held shares of the country's largest oil producer. 

He has further stated that he was motivated by a desire to contribute to ensuring Germany's and Europe's energy security in joining Rosneft's board.

Questioned on Monday whether he too would seek a similar appointment in international business, the recently-departed foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) told press the he intended to focus on charitable work.

Similarly, Chancellor Merkel has said that she will not assume a "private sector job" when she retires from the role of chancellor.