Interfax news agency quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry's announcement on May 31 as saying that Moscow would take appropriate countermeasures, after Berlin on the same day asked Russia to close four of its five consulates general in Germany. "We consider the German Foreign Ministry's request to close the Russian consulates general in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt by December 31, 2023 in the context of Germany's decision to reduce its consular presence in Russia as an unfriendly step aimed at further destroying the Russian-German relations, which have been characterized by decades of multifaceted, rich and mutually beneficial cooperation," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Germany has recently expelled a number of its diplomats, imposed restrictions on some employees of foreign missions and delayed the issuance of visas. The ministry stressed that Russia's retaliatory actions were taken only as a reaction and "on the basis of the principle of reciprocity," and called on Germany to stop actions that escalate tensions with Russia.

Russian Embassy in Berlin (Germany). Photo: TASS

Earlier, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Christofer Burger said that Berlin had informed Moscow that it would close four of the five Russian consulates in Germany. This was a “tit-for-tat” move after Russia imposed a limit on the number of staff at the German Embassy and its related agencies in Russia. Burger said that this measure would create a “structural and personnel balance” between the two countries. Russia recently asked Germany to reduce the number of officials working in the country to 350, including those working in cultural institutions and schools,

In addition to the Embassy in Berlin, Russia has five consulates general in Germany located in the cities of Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, Frankfurt and Bonn. Thus, according to the announcement of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the country's consulates general in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt are required to close. As for Germany, it will close its consulates in the Russian cities of Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg. The German Embassy in Moscow and the consulate in St. Petersburg will remain open.

This development represents a new level of tension in the relationship between Russia and Germany. Relations between the two countries have deteriorated rapidly since the conflict in Ukraine broke out. Both sides have repeatedly expelled each other's diplomats. According to RIA Novosti, at the end of April this year, Berlin declared more than 20 Russian diplomats "persona non grata". Moscow responded by expelling staff from the German Embassy and demanding a maximum limit on the number of employees in German organizations in Russia.

Germany has long relied heavily on Russian gas supplies. Berlin has sought to reduce that dependence as the West has imposed sanctions on Moscow's energy sector over the conflict in Ukraine. Germany is also one of the Western countries that provides significant military aid to Kiev. Russia has repeatedly criticized Western arms shipments to Ukraine, saying they only prolong the conflict.

LAM ANH