Tensions between Germany and Russia escalated on Wednesday (May 31), with Berlin’s decision to close four of five Russian consulates on German territory. The measure was a reaction to the expulsion of hundreds of German officials from Russia.
Germany said it revoked the licenses of Russian consulates in retaliation for Moscow’s restrictions on its own diplomatic representation in Russia. Only one Russian consulate, in addition to the Russian embassy in Berlin, will be allowed to continue operating in the European country. The operations of the other four consulates are expected to be shut down by the end of the year.
Currently, Russia has consulates in Bonn, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, and Munich. The country can decide which of these five it wants to keep, a German Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Moscow later reported that the Russian consulate in Bonn, Germany’s former capital, will be kept in operation.
The German Foreign Ministry accused Moscow of escalating tensions by imposing a limit on the number of German officials on Russian territory.
“This unjustified decision is forcing the German government to make very significant cuts in all areas of its presence in Russia,” the spokesman stressed. “On the Russian presence in Germany, our decision applies reciprocally in order to ensure a balance between the two presences, both in terms of personnel and infrastructure.”
The German decision represents the lowest point in bilateral relations amid a collapse in ties between the two countries triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year. The Russian attack forced Germany to adopt a painful and dramatic diplomatic and economic U-turn after it had, for decades, staked a rapprochement with Russia.
Before the war, Russia was Germany’s main supplier of natural gas and one of its largest suppliers of oil. Berlin put an end to these imports and became one of Kiev’s main arms suppliers and, at the same time, one of its biggest financial supporters.
Russia promises reaction
Following the German announcement, Russia criticized the decision and called on Berlin to stop the diplomatic escalation. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the closure order is “another hostile measure aimed at further destroying relations” between the countries and said Germany “is losing its way.”
“Berlin should have no doubt that these thoughtless provocations will not go without an appropriate response from us,” the ministry said. “In Germany, they must understand that all responsibility for the degradation of bilateral relations lies with them,” it added.
The German decision is a response to Moscow’s imposition that limited to 350 the number of German officials employed in Russia, both in the embassy and in institutions, especially in the areas of culture and education. Effective from June, the measure means that hundreds of German civil servants, such as diplomats, German School teachers and Goethe Institute employees, will have to leave Russia.
Due to this restriction, Germany decided in November to close three of its consulates in Russia: in Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk. The country will maintain a minimum presence of cultural workers in Russia.
cn/lf (Reuters, Efe, dpa, Lusa)