Germany wants to expel Russia from the European scientific project, but there is resistance.
The European X-ray Free Electron Laser Facility allows for close-up study of atoms and various nanosubstances, which will enable the development of new materials.
Sputnik Agency Germany wants to expel Russia from the European X-ray Free Electron Laser Facility (European XFEL), but there is resistance from other countries.
According to the president of the Kurchatov Institute in Russia, physicist Mikhail Kovalchuk, Germany has discriminated against Russian scientists participating in the European XFEL research project.
German authorities want Russia completely excluded from the project, despite resistance from other countries, he said.
Kovalchuk drew attention to Russia's large contributions to the European XFEL, amounting to US$42 million (R$217,9 million) per year, and expressed his concern about Germany at a seminar for young scientists in Sochi.
"The Germans are demanding that we be expelled. And all the other participants, Slovaks, Swedes, who follow everything the Germans say, understand that as soon as we leave, they will have to pay this money. They don't have it. They won't pay now, neither the Poles nor they [Slovaks, Swedes]. They have debts, so everything will collapse," Kovalchuk commented.
According to the scientist, earlier in the week, Germany proposed removing the names of Russian scientists from an article in the European XFEL journal, but other countries sided with Russia on the issue.
Kovalchuk added that the Germans "behaved in an absolutely aggressive manner" and "terrified everyone," while other participating countries were "afraid but tried not to support [Germany]."
The Russian scientist also recalled that Germany refused to allow a Russian representative to participate in one of the meetings and threatened to cancel it if the representative did not leave.
The European XFEL is a unique international X-ray research project in megascience. It allows for closer study of atoms and different nanosubstances, which will enable the development of new materials with specific properties.
Twelve countries are participating in the research. The Kurchatov Institute is overseeing Russia's participation in the project.
Russia covered more than a quarter of the total project cost, paying more than all the other countries combined, with the exception of Germany, which provided about half of the necessary funds.
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