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Russian-German Petersburg Dialogue confirms it will be disbanded in early 2023

The press service of the forum said that "dialogue in this format is no longer possible"

BERLIN, November 23. /TASS/. The Russian-German Petersburg Dialogue, founded in 2001 by Russian President Vladimir Putin and then German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, will cease to exist in the first quarter of 2023, the forum’s press service has said.

"An assembly of Petersburg Dialogue members concluded that the forum be disbanded in the first quarter of 2023," the press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the report, a dialogue in this format "is no longer possible" amid Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.

Therefore, the press service confirmed a report published by Germany’s Der Spiegel online magazine on Saturday.

The Petersburg Dialogue was launched in 2001 at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder to create long-term and sincere exchange of opinions among politicians, researchers, cultural figures, business people and representatives of the civil society. The event was organized once a year and hosted by Russia and Germany on a rotating basis. The latest event was held in Germany’s Bonn around three years ago. Five working groups were initially created within the framework of the forum: "Politics and Civil Society," "Economy and Business," "Science and Education," "Culture" and "Mass Media." More groups were subsequently added: "Civil Society" in 2002, "Workshop of the Future" in 2004, "Churches in Europe" in 2007, "Healthcare " and "Environmental Modernization" in 2016.

Lately, the Petersburg Dialogue has been gradually losing its significance as ties between Moscow and Berlin deteriorated. At present, the forum is co-chaired by former Chief of Staff of the German Chancellery Ronald Pofalla and Chair of Gazprom Board of Directors Viktor Zubkov.

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