MPs representing the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AdN) have arrived in the Russian city of Sochi for the BRICS-Europe symposium organised by the United Russia party and the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
According to RBC news agency, Bundestag deputy and member of the Committee on Economics and Energy Steffen Kotre, head of the AdN branch in Saxony Jörg Urban and MEP Hans Neuhoff came to Russia. Which, according to TASS, is participating in the sections “dedicated to the prospects of interaction between European political forces and BRICS countries.”
Another Bundestag deputy from the AdN, Rainer Rothfuss, declined to participate. He told RBC that he took the decision” on his own initiative “because of pressure from the German media and fears that his presence would become a “burden for the party.” Rothfuss participated remotely in the prayer meetings.
The MP emphasised that the party did not ban the trip, it was approved.
Party co-chair Alice Weidel criticised the colleagues’ initiative and said she did not understand its purpose. The politician noted that the authorisation for the trip was issued by the foreign policy working committee and the leadership did not have time to intervene.
Weidel promised to tighten the rules for approving such visits and warned that failure to fulfil the party’s requirements could lead to “consequences up to and including expulsion”.