Germany regrets Russia’s decision to close Goethe-Institut branches

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has expressed regret over Moscow’s decision to close branches of the Goethe-Institut, Germany’s international cultural institute, saying the move would further damage relations between the two countries.

“The Goethe-Institut earns its place every day by fostering thriving cultural relations and social exchange between Russia and Germany - and has done so under the most difficult conditions since Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine,” Wadephul told dpa on Thursday, shortly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the retaliatory measure.

“Against this backdrop, the measure now announced by the Russian Federation is very regrettable, as it further damages our relations,” Wadephul said on the sidelines of a meeting with his French and Polish counterparts in Weimar.

Wadephul said the Russian move was unjustified, arguing that Germany’s decision to close the Russian House in Berlin had been a direct response to the discovery last month of an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig airport.

The German government officially attributed the incident to Russia on Tuesday, prompting the Russian Foreign Ministry to summon Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow to protest Berlin’s sanctions. Moscow has denied any involvement in the drone incident. The drone failed to detonate.

Wadephul said the Russian House had long ceased to fulfil its stated role as a “House of Science and Culture.”

“I am saying this very clearly: it serves neither culture nor science,” he said, adding that Russia must decide what kind of relationship it wants with Germany.

The Goethe-Institut was among the last German institutions still operating in Russia. Most foundations and organisations linked to Germany have been designated “undesirable,” effectively preventing them from operating in the country.

The institute’s main Russian office is in Moscow, while it also operates cultural centres in other Russian cities.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, speaking as part of the "Znanie" Society’s lecture series at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), announced that, in response to the German authorities’ closure of the Russian House in Berlin, Russia would close the Goethe-Institut branches in Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg.

By Tamilla Hasanova