German ministry says prepares response to Siemens turbine scandal

BERLIN, Jul 25 (PRIME) -- The German Foreign Ministry is preparing an all-European response to a scandal with alleged supplies of four Siemens turbines to Russia’s Crimea, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

“As a response to the illegal supply of turbines to Crimea, we are preparing a reaction at the European level. As the process of coordination is underway, we can not disclose details at this point,” the ministry said.

Siemens said last week that all the four turbines meant to be used on Russian power plant on the Taman Peninsula were illegally shipped to Crimea, forcing the company to cancel its licensing agreements to sell power equipment to Russian firms and suspend the current agreements with state-run companies.

On Monday, Reuters reported citing diplomatic sources that the E.U. may discuss scaling up of the sanctions against Russia on Germany’s proposal because of the scandal, and that Germany suggested adding three to four individuals and companies to the sanctions’ list.

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