A conference took place on Nov. 15 in Sochi to discuss the Ukraine conflict and the deteriorating situation in Europe under the rubric of Europe-BRICS. The conference was organized by the Russian Academy of Sciences and an Indian association. There was increased interest from many European parliamentarians, with 40 attending this year, as compared to last year’s event to which only 18 parliamentarians attended. Despite tremendous pressure, there were also a few members from Germany’s AfD party in attendance.
The AfD members included Bundestag member Steffen Kotre, Saxony parliamentarian Jörg Urban, and Member of the European Parliament Hans Neuhoff. Urban said in his speech to the event: “The decision to stop using Russian energy resources has led to energy becoming so expensive that many Saxon companies are closing their doors or relocating abroad.” Saxony’s exports to Russia have dropped by €1 billion, he claimed.
