Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder faced criticism, on Wednesday, for his participation in a party held at the Russian embassy, u200bu200bwhich was also attended by representatives of the extreme right.
Schroeder, 79, participated on Tuesday evening with his wife in a reception held in Berlin at the headquarters of the Russian diplomatic mission, on the occasion of the anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany.
The former adviser, who is mainly accused of his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared in a photo published by the popular newspaper Bild, smiling.
Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the far-left Die Linke party, as well as one of the last leaders of the GDR, Egon Krenz, participated in the ceremony.
On the other hand, no representatives of the conservative Christian Democratic Union, the Social Democratic Party, environmentalists and the Liberal Party participated in the ceremony.
Schroeder, who is associated with a number of Russian energy groups, was denied benefits granted to former advisers because of his relations with Putin, which he maintained despite the military attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
internal reactions
• Katja Mast, an official in the Social Democratic Party faction in Parliament, commented, saying: “I don’t understand it.”
• Christian Dor, head of the Liberal Party bloc in the House of Representatives, said: “It is totally inappropriate to attend a party organized by the Russian embassy, and I think it is appropriate that the ambassadors of Western countries have sent a clear signal” not to participate.
• Torsten Frey of the Christian Democratic Union stated: “On the day Russian diplomats served a meal to the former chancellor, innocent people were killed in Ukraine because of the Russian war of aggression,” considering that “May 9 is supposed to be a reminder not to collude with the aggressors.”
• A spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who was Schroeder’s policy mentor at the beginning of the millennium, declined to make any comment.
• Tino Shrubala, co-chair of the Alternative for Germany party, justified his party’s participation in the ceremony, explaining that the ninth of May was until last year a memory in which “German politicians from all parties represented in Parliament naturally participate”, adding: “This dialogue should not be stopped in time of crisis.”
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2023-05-10 18:08:03
