Nato agrees Novichok used on Navalny

Brussels, Sept. 4: Nato secretarygeneral Jens Stoltenberg on Friday condemned the appalling assassination attempt on Russian Opposition politician Alexei Navalny and called on Moscow to answer questions about the poisoning to international investigators.

Mr Navalny, a Kremlin critic and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on August 20 and has been in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital since he was flown to Germany for treatment more than a week ago.

◗ Russian Opposition politician Alexei Navalny, a Kremlin critic and corruption investigator, fell ill on a flight to Moscow on August 20 and has been in an induced coma in a Berlin hospital since he was flown to Germany for treatment more than a week ago

“There is proof beyond doubt that Mr Navalny was poisoned using a militarygrade nerve agent from the Novichok group. The use of such a weapon is horrific,” Mr Stoltenberg said after chairing a meeting of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( Nato) ambassadors during which Germany briefed its allies on developments.

Any use of chemical weapons shows a total disrespect for human lives and is an unacceptable breach of international norms and rules. Nato allies agree that Russia now has serious questions it must answer, he told reporters.

Mr Stoltenberg said Moscow must cooperate with the international chemical weapons organisation in an impartial, international investigation and provide information about its Novichok program.

German authorities have said that tests showed that he had been poisoned with a chemical nerve agent from the Novichok group.