Gerhard Schroeder . File photoBERLIN, Aug 8The arbitration commission of the SPD party in the first instance rejected the motion to expel former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder from the party due to his contacts with Gazprom and Russian President Vladimir Putin. all petitions to expel him from the party,» the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports, citing a party message.Zelensky infuriated the Germans with one phrase about Putin and Schroeder Previously, 17 regional party associations initiated regulatory proceedings against Schroeder in the context of his contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian gas and oil sector. According to many of Schroeder's party members, the newspaper reports, the ex-chancellor did not sufficiently distance himself from the Russian Federation after the start of the SVO in Ukraine. However, according to the conclusion of the arbitration commission, «personal friendship with the Russian president does not violate the charter of the SDPG», but is a «personal matter» of the former chancellor, Süddeutsche Zeitung writes. The contacts of the former chancellor with Russian corporations also do not harm the party, since similar claims could be made against the current government, which in this case «would have to bear responsibility for gas imports from the Russian Federation,» the newspaper quotes from the conclusion. can be appealed within two weeks, then the final verdict will be issued by a higher authority. Earlier, the former German chancellor spoke about the results of his trip to Moscow, where he held negotiations on energy policy. Schroeder called on the German authorities to launch the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. He also said that he was not going to refuse and apologize for his friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 2″
