Diplomacy: German Ambassador Lambsdorff counters Moscow allegations

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“The conversion of the German maritime command staff in Rostock into the “Commander Task Force Baltic” is in line with the two-plus-four treaty,” he said. The headquarters will consist of German soldiers as well as foreign exchange and liaison officers – as before.

“According to the Two Plus Four Treaty, the assignment of German armed forces units to NATO structures is also expressly permitted in the area of ​​what was then the GDR and Berlin,” emphasized Lambsdorff. This is below the prohibition threshold of the treaty that was concluded in the course of German reunification.

Lambsdorff criticizes cooperation with North Korea in the ministry

According to his own statements, Ambassador Lambsdorff also addressed reports in the ministry about an alleged sending of soldiers from North Korea to Russia. If these reports are true, he would “strongly condemn” this further military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, he said.

In addition, according to his own account, he protested on the occasion “again against the completely unjustified classification of the German Society for Eastern European Studies (DGO) as an “extremist organization””. He therefore called on Russia to reverse this as quickly as possible.

Protest also against action against the Eastern Europe Organization

According to Lambsdorff, the German side made it clear in a verbal note that the DGO has been one of the most important organizations in Eastern European studies for many decades. “The DGO made a significant contribution to creating the foundations in Germany for the policy of understanding with the Soviet Union and for long-standing good-neighbourly relations with its successor states,” said the diplomat.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had previously reported on the summons of the ambassador and complained about a violation of the Two Plus Four Treaty. The treaty prohibits NATO troops from being stationed in East Germany. Federal Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), however, also emphasized on Monday at the opening of the headquarters that no applicable contracts would be violated.

“The conversion of the German maritime command staff in Rostock into the “Commander Task Force Baltic” is in line with the two-plus-four treaty,” he said. The headquarters will consist of German soldiers as well as foreign exchange and liaison officers – as before.