Anger as German ex-chancellor Schroeder heads up Rosneft board

Former german chancellor gerhard schroeder is going through a backlash after being elected chairman of the russian nation-managed oil giant rosneft.
The appointment deepens his controversial hyperlinks with moscow. He has long been pals with russian president vladimir putin.
The west imposed sanctions on rosneft after russia annexed crimea in 2014.
The chair of the german parliament's foreign affairs committee said mr schroeder's circulate turned into "improbable".
German news issuer deutsche welle quoted norbert roettgen as announcing mr schroeder turned into "cashing in" on his former position as chancellor.
Back in august, mr schroeder was criticised through chancellor angela merkel while he changed into nominated to join the rosneft board. On friday, shareholders voted to again his nomination.
What's the history to this story?
Mr schroeder turned into chancellor from 1998 to 2005 - however his hyperlinks with russia go back almost as far.
As chancellor, he turned into a staunch backer of plans for a pipeline to be built between russia and germany by the nord move consortium, and an agreement turned into signed in his ultimate days in workplace. As soon as out of office, he became chairman of the nord movement shareholders' committee.
German chancellor gerhard schroeder hugs russian president vladimir putin (r) as they stroll at some point of their assembly in st petersburg, 7 october 2005image copyrightafp
Picture caption
Mr schroeder has had a long friendship with vladimir putin - the two pictured right here in 2005 on the cease of his chancellorship
As such, he also works closely with russia's other electricity massive, gazprom, and last 12 months he have become chairman of the board of administrators at nord flow 2, a gazprom subsidiary.
He has long been pals with president putin - in 2014 they had been pictured embracing at mr schroeder's seventieth party. Mr schroeder additionally opposed the sanctions over crimea.
Putin hugs german ex-chancellor schroeder at party
But what is the problem?
This all sits more and more uncomfortably in germany, wherein there was deepening public mistrust of the russian state.
There had been fears that russia may want to try to undermine german democracy on the grounds that russian hackers were accused of focused on german lawmakers in 2015.
Mr roettgen accuses mr schroeder of trying to growth german strength dependence on russia.
Deutsche welle additionally reports that individuals of mr schroeder's former celebration, the social democrats (spd), feared he may want to have contributed to their disastrous displaying in current federal elections. It describes party individuals as "incensed".
Facts struggle: is russia genuinely interfering in european states?
Angela merkel rolls her eyes at vladimir putin
What does mr schroeder say?
He defends rosneft, announcing remaining month some of his critics in reality desired to ignite a new cold conflict: "imagine if i had been proposed not for a rosneft board position but for exxon in the usa. Nobody would ask my genuine motives.
"it's far the most important oil organization in the international, with essential hyperlinks to germany. It is not the long arm of the kremlin.
"they're most people shareholder, but bp is a shareholder - not a small store. Qatar is a shareholder," he stated, in keeping with reuters.
He has also indicated he will take simplest a fragment of the earnings the brand new role would usually attract.