Goethe-Institute centers to be closed in Russia: Lavrov names reason
Інститут Ґете в Москві
Russia plans to close the cultural centers of the German Goethe Institute after Germany decided to close the “Russian House” in Berlin. This was in response to the Russian drone attack in Leipzig.
The decision was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok.
“Of course, they will be closed after our cultural center is expelled from there. Otherwise, we will not respect ourselves,” Lavrov said.
According to him, Germany has branches of the Goethe Institute in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. At the same time, according to the institute itself, the third representative office in Russia is located not in Yekaterinburg, but in Novosibirsk.
On the eve of Lavrov’s deputy, Alexander Grushko, said that Moscow would respond “in the near future” to Germany’s decision to close the consulate in Bonn.
The first Goethe-Institut in Russia was opened in Moscow in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Russia has previously resorted to similar measures in diplomatic conflicts. In particular, in 2018, after aggravation of relations with the United Kingdom, Moscow ordered the closure of the British Council branch in the country.
As a reminder,Germany officially held Russia responsible for the attempted sabotage at Leipzig/Halle airport. In early August, a drone with explosives was found near a Ukrainian cargo plane.
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