BERLIN, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The director of Porsche Workers' Council Uwe Hueck has defended former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's controversial engagement with the Russian oil giant Rosneft on Friday.
Speaking in Stuttgart, Hueck said he was "sick of the hypocrisy" surrounding the 73-year-old Schroeder's appointment by the Russian government to Rosneft's supervisory board.
Rosneft is one of the firms targeted by European Union economic sanctions in the wake of the Crimean conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Nevertheless, the Workers' Council chief emphasized that Russia was a part of Europe and argued that Germany would benefit from having Schroeder represent its interests in Russia's largest oil company. Nobody is "better suited" to assume the role, he claimed.
"I think his engagement in Russia is a good thing and I support my friend Gerhard Schroeder," Hueck added.
Aside from leading one of the most powerful labor representation bodies in Germany at luxury carmaker Porsche, Hueck is also a member of the German Social Democrats and has campaigned politically for Schroeder before.
Schroeder has been widely criticized by some quarters in Germany for his close ties to Moscow, having already joined the Russian gas company Gazprom following the end of his political career.
