Germany's shutdown of 4 consulates could destroy relations: Russia
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The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs says Berlin's decision to shut down four consulates general across Germany will prompt an inevitable response from Moscow.
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An entrance to the Russian embassy closed in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, May 31, 2023 (AP)
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday that Berlin's decision to close down four Russian consulates general across Germany by the end of 2023 constituted an unfriendly measure that could be designed to destroy bilateral relations.
In light of Germany's decision to reduce its consular presence in Russia, the MFA statement read, "We [Russia] regard the German Foreign Ministry's demand to close the Russian consulates General in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Frankfurt by December 31, 2023 as another hostile step aimed at further destroying Russian-German relations, which have decades of rich, multifaceted, and mutually beneficial cooperation."
The Ministry further reaffirmed that "Berlin should not have any doubt that these ill-conceived provocative actions will not remain without our proper reaction."
Additionally, the statement made it clear that the "full responsibility for the degradation of bilateral ties between the two countries lies with the German side."
Previously, the German Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Christofer Burger, stated that just one of the five Russian consulates throughout Germany, as well as the Russian Embassy in Berlin, will be permitted to continue to operate.
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Russia introduces retaliatory quota on number of German diplomats
Two days earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Germany has introduced a quota for a number of categories of staffers at Russian diplomatic missions in March, prompting Russia to introduce retaliatory measures.
Commenting on German reports that alleged Russia was the first to spark an escalation by introducing a quota on the number of staffers in German diplomatic missions in Russia, she said, "It was the German authorities that in March of this year introduced a quota for a number of categories of personnel of the Russian Embassy in Berlin and consulates general, significantly complicating their daily work."
Zakharova added that Russia’s decision was a response to Germany and that "it is quite natural that the Russian side, in order to follow the principle of reciprocity, took retaliatory measures aimed at restoring parity in the number of foreign apparatuses of the two countries."
