The former Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneislwhich had danced a waltz in 2018 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, resigned by its board of directors Rosneftannounced today the giant Russian oil company.
Rosneft announced on Friday the departures of former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroederwho was criticized after the Russian attack because of his closeness to the Russian president, as well as his Matthias Varnichwho had begun his career in the spheres of power of the communist German Democratic Republic.
According to Rosneft, Kneisl, who was appointed to the company’s board of directors in March 2021 and subsequently had her appointment ratified in June of that year, submitted a letter of resignation with effect from last Friday.
Karin Kneisl, who was appointed by far-right FPO party head of Austrian diplomacy, a position he held from December 2017 to May 2019, had invited Putin to her wedding when her country held the rotating presidency of the European Union.
The photos of the bride dancing a waltz with the Russian president had then traveled around the world.
Last March, the Austrian press had revealed that Putin, to thank Kneisl for inviting him to her wedding, had offered her white gold earrings decorated with sapphires, the value of which is estimated at 50,000 euros.
The jewels are now in the hands of the government, which recovered them in February 2020, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry told AFP at the time.
On Friday, the former minister had told the French Agency that she did not resign from Rosneft in March to “respect” her obligations for a one-year term.
“I did not give up in March because it is not my style to leave the ship in the storm.”
However, “the company” was informed “already in March that I am no longer available for the next elections”, he assured.
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