UPDATE - Germany asks Russia to close 4 consulates as tensions climb

UPDATES WITH MORE COMMENTS FROM GERMAN SPOKESMAN, ADDS DETAILS, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Anadolu staff

BERLIN (AA) – Germany asked Russia on Wednesday to close four of its consulates in the country as tensions continue to mount between the two countries.

At a news conference in Berlin, Foreign Ministry spokesman Christopher Burger accused Russia of escalating tensions with its decision to limit the maximum number of staff at German diplomatic missions.

“This unjustified decision has forced the German government to make a very significant cut in all areas of our presence in Russia,” he said.

In a reciprocal move, Berlin informed Moscow of its request for the closure of four out of five Russian consulates in Germany by the end of the year, Burger said.

“Our reciprocal decision for the Russian presence in Germany aims to ensure a balance between the two sides, both in terms of personnel and structure,” he said.

As of 2024, Russia will only be allowed to operate its embassy in Berlin and one consulate, he added.

Russia currently has five consulates in the German cities of Bonn, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Frankfurt.

*The Kremlin decided last month to set an upper limit of 350 for the number of civil servants working at German diplomatic representations and cultural centers in the country.

The move requires more than a hundred German civil servants, including diplomats, experts and teachers, to leave the country.

As a result of Russia’s decision, Germany will close its consulates in the Russian cities of Kaliningrad, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Germany will also reduce staff at the Moscow embassy and its consulate in Saint Petersburg, and maintain minimum staff at German schools and cultural institutions.

Moscow's decision came after Berlin asked more than 30 Russian diplomats to leave the country in April, accusing them of working undercover as intelligence agents.

Germany's relations with Russia have been strained over the war in Ukraine. Berlin has accused Moscow of war crimes and responded by halting bilateral cooperation and imposing tough economic sanctions.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition government pledged strong political and economic support to Kyiv and has delivered weapons to Ukraine since the war broke out in February last year.