These announcements follow the recent decision by the Russian authorities to drastically reduce, from June, the number of people Germany can send or employ in Russia in its embassy or active institutions
Russia today condemned her decision Germany to close four of the five Russian consulates it has on its soil, denouncing a “challenge” that will not go unanswered by Moscow.
“Berlin should have no doubt at all that these reckless provocative actions will not go without our just response,” the Russian Foreign Ministry announced.
In his announcement, the Russian Foreign Ministry he sharply criticized “a new unfriendly measure intended to further destroy Russo-German relations”.
He accused Berlin of being responsible for the “continuing escalation” by “massively expelling” Russian diplomats using “strange pretexts”, reducing mission staff and delaying visa passports.
These announcements follow the recent decision by the Russian authorities to drastically reduce, from June, the number of people Germany can send or employ in Russia in its embassy or in active institutions, mainly in the fields of culture and education.
Hundreds of people are affected by this measure: employees of the embassy and consulates but mainly the staff of the Goethe Institute in Russian territory, the German school, kindergartens or even teachers working in Russian schools.
“The Russian government thus took a step towards escalation and this unjustified decision forces the (German) government to make very large cuts in all areas of its presence in Russia,” explained the German Foreign Ministry spokesman.
In April, Moscow had already announced the expulsion of nearly 20 German diplomats, in retaliation for a similar measure taken by Berlin.
These decisions come at a time when bilateral German-Russian relations, which were once close, are at their lowest ebb.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine forced Germany to make a painful and spectacular diplomatic and economic U-turn after decades of focusing on these two areas for rapprochement with Russia.
THE Moscow it was before the invasion of Ukraine the main supplier of natural gas to Germany and one of its largest suppliers of oil.
Germany ended this supply and became one of Kiev’s biggest arms suppliers, and at the same time one of its biggest financial supporters.
Source :Skai
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