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Relations of Russia, Germany need reboot, Lavrov says

Moscow is surprised by Berlin’s attempts to hinder the visit of the Alternative for Germany party to Russia, the top diplomat said

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/TASS

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

© Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/TASS

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MOSCOW, December 8. /TASS/. The dialogue of Moscow and Berlin must be reconsidered, it needs a reboot, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a meeting with the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party delegation Tuesday.

"Your arrival in Russia is a very good opportunity to continue such a dialogue and look for additional contact points. We hold your contribution to the maintenance of our relations, which need reconsideration and, maybe, what is called a reboot these days, in high regard," he said.

Lavrov noted that "a lot of serious problems that keep multiplying" have accumulated between Moscow and Berlin. The dialogue on all levels - intergovernmental, interparliamentary and intersocietal - is important for the two countries at the moment, Lavrov underscored.

Attempts to hinder visit of German delegation to Russia

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Moscow is surprised by Berlin’s attempts to hinder the visit of the Alternative for Germany party to Russia, Sergey Lavrov said.

"I have to say, we were very much surprised by the attempts of official Berlin to hinder your visit, creating technical and protocol difficulties. We were especially surprised by the hysterical domestic discussion caused by your visit," he said.

Lavrov stressed that the Alternative for Germany is a major opposition faction in the Bundestag represented in the legislative bodies of all 16 federal states of the country.

"On the contrary, we would think that in the current situation, taking into account the difficult period in our bilateral relations, it would be important to develop contacts between all representatives of the Russian and German public at all levels, especially between those who are not only in favor of maintaining the potential for cooperation, but also of overcoming the existing difficulties," he continued.

The foreign minister added that Russia never opposes or hinders contacts between German officials and the Russian opposition. "Meanwhile Berlin officials prefer not to meet with representatives of the opposition's parliamentary parties, but rather with its 'non-systemic' figures. This has become a good tradition by now. And we have expressed no discontent over this," he stated.

According to Lavrov, during his visits to Moscow, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas often meets with public figures who harshly criticize the Kremlin’s politics. "And we have not made any attempts to condemn such contacts," the Russian top diplomat concluded.

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