CDU general secretary calls for the resignation of “Gazprom trickster” Schwesig

CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja is calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig in view of the new findings in the affair about the climate foundation of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Because: Apparently, the Gazprom subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG played a stronger role in the establishment of the climate protection foundation than previously assumed.

CDU general secretary calls for the resignation of “Gazprom trickster” Schwesig

“The allegations against Ms. Schwesig are confirmed. If they come true, one thing is certain: she is lying,” said Czaja. “She must finally resign out of respect for her office,” explains CDU member Czaja, calling Schwesig a “Gazprom trickster.” CDU chairman Friedrich Merz also called for Schwesig’s resignation.

The deputy of the FDP parliamentary group René Domke also told the “Welt am Sonntag”: “It is now confirmed that Gazprom’s influence on the establishment of the foundation was much greater than previously assumed and that the Kremlin’s arm reached at least as far as the ministerial offices .” He demands from Schwesig that she has to explain to the state parliament what she knew, when and from whom – and that completely.

Further discussion about Nord Stream participation in foundation statutes

To the background: The founding of the MV Climate Foundation raises further questions. According to research by “Welt am Sonntag”, the Gazprom subsidiary Nord Stream 2 AG may have played a greater role than previously assumed. The newspaper refers to a digital data set available to it for the draft statutes. The author of the documents is the name of a commercial law firm that has worked for the company on several occasions.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Interior Minister Christian level (SPD) rejected the allegations on Saturday. “The state parliament and state government have made their own, uninfluenced decision to establish the climate and environmental protection foundation,” he said. Nord Stream 2 did not influence the independent decision of the state parliament and state government.

“The final version of the statutes was largely compiled by myself in preparation for the political decision on the founding of the foundation,” explainedleve. “During the development of the statutes, I used various suggestions such as forms and templates, which flowed into my draft statutes.” As has been known for a long time, there was an exchange with Nord Stream 2, as well as with the later chairman of the foundation board, Erwin Sellering. Although he was in contact with representatives of Nord Stream 2, “but never with a law firm when the foundation was founded”.

Criticism from the opposition: Shocking that it should be veiled who pulled the strings behind the scenes

Criticism came from the opposition. “It is shocking that apparently it should be veiled who pulled the strings behind the scenes,” said the Green Energy politician Hannes Damm the paper. Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) and her cabinet had “made themselves vicarious agents of Russian power networks”. CDU parliamentary group leader Franz-Robert Liskow said, “according to the latest findings, it is becoming increasingly clear that the idea for the foundation does not come from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, but comes directly from Russia”.

The MV Climate Foundation has been criticized for supporting the completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. The construction of the pipeline was completed, but it did not go into operation due to Russian aggression against Ukraine.