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BERLIN, December 21 In Leipzig The official closing ceremony of the oldest consulate general of Russia in terms of continuity in Germany took place, a correspondent reported from the scene.
“The step is unprecedented, and it cannot be called friendly. This is not our choice,” Ambassador Sergei Nechaev said in his opening remarks, commenting on Berlin’s decision.
According to the diplomat, Russian consular offices have always been committed to development of good relations and economic ties with regions of Germany. He thanked his compatriots and members of the diplomatic mission for their work and recalled that the Leipzig consulate is the oldest in modern Germany.
“The consulate has already been closed under certain historical conditions, but each time it was revived,” Nechaev emphasized.
The ambassador promised on behalf of the Russian diplomatic department to do everything possible to minimize the consequences of the closure of consulates in Germany. After his speech, a ceremonial lowering of the flag took place to the sound of the Russian anthem. Then Nechaev and Consul Andrei Dronov accepted the sign of the Consulate General, removed from the gate of the department.
The Russian representation in Leipzig, with the exception of several interruptions, has been operating since 1783, when Empress Catherine II decided to open the first Russian consulate in the city on the territory of the then Electorate of Saxony. The current building of the diplomatic department is located in the north of Leipzig; since 1954, the consulate of the USSR and then Russia has been located there. Until recently, 26 thousand Russians from Thuringia and Saxony were registered with the Consulate General. On November 1, the provision of all services except for the issuance of passports was suspended.
Since April 2023, several dozen Russian diplomats have been expelled from Germany. Berlin also decided to revoke consent to the work of four of the five Russian consulates general in Germany. On December 31 of this year, the consulates general in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt am Main will cease their activities, and the stations will lose diplomatic immunity.
As the Russian Foreign Ministry previously stated, as a reaction to the hostile actions of Berlin, Moscow decided to mirror the expulsion of German diplomats from the country, as well as to significantly limit the maximum number of employees of German diplomatic missions, which was officially notified to the then Ambassador of Germany Gesa von Geyr.