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France, Sweden confirm Novichok poisoning in Navalny case: Germany

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The German government said Monday that laboratories in France and Sweden have confirmed its own findings that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent, according to AFP.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement that Germany had asked France and Sweden “for an independent review of the German evidence (of Novichok poisoning) on the basis of new samples from Mr Navalny,” who is receiving treatment in Berlin.

“The results of this review at specialised laboratories in France and Sweden are now available and confirm the German evidence (of Novichok poisoning),” Seibert said.

He said Germany was still waiting for the outcome of a separate evaluation by the OPCW global chemical weapons watchdog.

On the basis of the findings by the three European laboratories, however, Seibert said Germany was “renewing its call for Russia to make a declaration on the events” of the Navalny case.

“We are in close contact with our European partners about further steps,” he added.

The 44-year-old Kremlin critic and anti-corruption campaigner fell ill after boarding a plane in Siberia last month and was hospitalised there before being flown to Berlin.

Germany said two weeks ago there was “unequivocal evidence” that he was poisoned with Novichok but Russia has angrily dismissed the findings, saying its doctors found no trace of poison.

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