German Chancellor Angela Merkel on August 21, 2017, criticized her predecessor Gerhard Schröder for accepting a lucrative high-level position at Russian oil company Rosneft.
«I do not find what Mr. Schröder is doing appropriate,» Merkel told German daily BILD in a muted but rare criticism of her predecessor, adding that she would not enter the business sector after her time as chancellor.
Earlier this month, the Russian government nominated Schröder as an «independent director» of the majority state-owned oil giant.
Schröder is expected to start in his new position in September 2017, around the same time as German federal elections set for September 24.
Rosneft is subject to Western economic sanctions originally imposed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
Schröder already holds a leadership position at Nord Stream AG, a gas-pipeline consortium set up by Gazprom, another Kremlin-controlled company, to transport Russian gas across the Baltic Sea and into Germany.
The former chancellor has drawn criticism in Germany for his involvement in the Russian energy sector and his friendship with Vladimir Putin, with some accusing him of undermining efforts by Western states to push for a change in Russia’s Ukraine policy.
Social Democrat leader Martin Schulz, a former party colleague of Schröder’s and one of Merkel’s challengers in the upcoming elections, has also distanced himself from Schröder, accusing him of tainting the Social Democrats’ campaign.
To read an article in Russian.
Author: Victor Brechenmacher
