ForMin Aurescu: I firmly condemn poisoning of Russian opposition leader Navalny

Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu says the poisoning of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny is "totally unacceptable" and condemns that, speaking about the need for a thorough and impartial investigation in this case.

"I firmly condemn the poisoning of the Russian opposition leader Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok, as officially reported today by the German Government. This totally unacceptable act requires thorough and impartial investigation and those responsible should face justice," the head of the Romanian diplomacy wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday condemned the "shocking" poisoning of Russian opponent Alexei Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok and called on Russia to conduct a transparent investigation, AFP reports.

The German Government has announced that Alexei Navalny has been the victim of an attack with the nerve agent Novichok. It is shocking and I condemn this without appeal, Stoltenberg said in a statement.

The tests carried out by a German military laboratory found "unequivocal evidence" that the Russian opponent had been poisoned "with a Novichok-type neurotoxic agent." according to the German government.

Novichok, a powerful Soviet-designed neurotoxic agent, was used against former double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018 in the UK. That sparked a diplomatic crisis between London and Moscow.