Russia to Close Goethe-Institut Centres in Tit-for-Tat Move
Russia will close Goethe-Institut centres in three cities after Germany shut Russian cultural institutions.
Russia has announced it will close the Goethe-Institut cultural centres in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg, escalating a diplomatic row over cultural representation. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made the announcement on Thursday, framing the move as a direct response to Germany's recent actions against Russian cultural institutions in Germany.
The decision follows Berlin's accusation that Moscow was behind an attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month. In the wake of that incident, Germany announced the closure of the Russian Consulate in Bonn and the Russian House cultural centre in the German capital.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov said Germany "could not have failed to understand" that closing Russian House would effectively end its cultural presence in Russia. He added that any response short of shuttering the Goethe-Institut would have shown a lack of "self-respect" on Russia's part.
The closures mark a significant deterioration in cultural ties between the two nations, which have already been strained by broader political and security disagreements.