Status: 03/15/2022 2:00 p.m
The former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) renounced the honorary citizenship of his city of Hanover. He announced this to Mayor Belit Onay on Tuesday.
The former Chancellor published his letter on his profile on a career network. (Screenshot)
Schröder informed the mayor of Hanover, Belit Onay (Greens), in a letter on Tuesday, which he also published in career network LinkedIn published. The statement reads: “I received your letter of March 11, 2022. After that, the City Council of Hanover should revoke my honorary citizenship.” The former chancellor apparently wants to forestall this step. He continues: “I irrevocably renounce the honorary citizenship of the city of Hanover.” Onay himself has not yet commented, and there is also no statement from the city of Hanover.
friendship with Putin
Schröder is considered a longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is also the head of the supervisory board at the Russian state-owned energy company Rosneft and holds management positions in the natural gas pipeline projects Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2. Anti-corruption groups have therefore recently called for him to be included in the lobby register. The commissioning of Nord Stream 2 has now been put on hold by the federal government. Schröder had caused a stir just a few days ago when he traveled to Russia to speak about the war in Ukraine. However, not much is known about the results and background.
VIDEO: Was former Chancellor Schröder on a peace mission with Putin? (3 mins)
Schröder “another part of the war machine”
The city of Hanover had previously announced that it intends to continue with the procedure for depriving Schröder of his honorary citizenship. The SPD in City Hall is also sticking with it: as long as Schröder continues to be the head of the supervisory board at the Russian company Rosneft, he will continue to be part of the war machine, said parliamentary group leader Lars Kelich.
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