ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 26th January, 2021) Italy is ready to consider further individual sanctions against those responsible for the alleged poisoning and detention of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny, but considers it necessary to maintain open channels of communication and cooperation with Russia, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said at the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier advised foreign politicians commenting on the situation with Navalny to respect international law and address their countries' problems. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin did not intend to listen to statements from abroad about Navalny.
"Italy has supported some of the restrictive measures adopted by the EU after the poisoning of Navalny as part of the chemical weapons sanctions regime. We are ready to assess further individual measures under the new human rights regime, taking into account that this regime will be horizontal, that is, will not be directed only against Russia," Di Maio said.
At the same time, Di Maio said, Italy "considers it necessary to maintain open channels of communication and cooperation with Russia."
On Saturday, protests broke out in several cities throughout Russia in support of Navalny, who was detained upon arrival in Moscow from Germany. Navalny had undergone treatment in Germany for allegedly being poisoned with a nerve agent. He was detained for 30 days for violating his probation terms for an earlier embezzlement conviction.
