The German government has ordered the closure of four out of five Russian consulates in the country, a step taken after Moscow imposed restrictions on the number of employees in the German embassy and other structures in Russia.
Such a decision was made to maintain “parity of personnel and structures” between the two countries, the press secretary of the German Foreign Ministry, Christopher Burger, told reporters in Berlin on Wednesday.
The Russian government has announced that no more than 350 German government officials, including those working in cultural institutions and schools, can remain in Russia.
As Burger said, this means that Germany will have to close its consulates in Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Königsberg (Karalyuchy) by November.
Only the embassy in Moscow and the consulate in St. Petersburg will continue to work.
The Russian embassy and one consulate will be able to continue their work in Germany even after the end of the year, the representative of the ministry said.
Burger regretted having to take such a step.
Because of the war, there is “simply no basis” for much bilateral activity between the two countries, he added.
“But it is the behavior of the Russian side that has led us to this situation,” said the representative of the ministry.
Along with Germany’s decision to concentrate the remaining employees in the embassy and the most important consulate, “the diplomatic presence in Russia will be maintained”, said Burger.
2023-05-31 18:59:18
#Germany #closes #Russian #consulates
