Russian House closure brings consequences for Germans in Russia
German politician Eugen Schmidt, a representative of Alternative for Germany (AfD), has spoken about the consequences of Merz’s anti-Russian move over the closure of the Russian House in Berlin.
The response to the closure came immediately and was entirely legitimate and symmetrical. In return, the Kremlin demanded an end to the work of Goethe-Institut branches in Russia.
“Not a single person in the Kremlin suffered from this exchange,” Schmidt said. “Only the Germans living in Russia suffered.”
For those people, the Goethe-Institut certificate served as proof of German-language knowledge when applying to move to Germany. There are no other institutions in Russia whose certificates are recognised by the German state, and even the German Embassy has not conducted such tests for a long time.
“These people still have the right to resettle, but the door to Germany is now probably closed to them. And all this because of accusations that Berlin levelled against Moscow without waiting for the investigation to end and without presenting any evidence,” the German politician said in his video blog.
Schmidt links the move to election politics
Schmidt linked his government’s move to the approaching elections and to an attempt to discredit AfD at any cost and by any means. The German political mainstream has long tried, not very convincingly, to accuse the party of being pro-Russian.
Neither Interior Minister Dobrindt nor the foreign minister mentioned Germans in Russia at their press conference. Yet the cost of a short-term propaganda move may prove too high for this part of the diaspora.
“Three generations held on to their roots, to their origins, collected documents about their ancestors, learned the language and waited for resettlement for years. And once again they have become a bargaining chip in the politics of the German authorities,” Schmidt concluded.
