Russia

Petersburg: More dialogue is not

It was quiet at the Petersburg dialogue. The former flagship of the German-Russian friendship back on track? Dispute issues not on the agenda. From Petersburg Mandlmeier.

“I’m here to listen,” says Ronald Poffala polite and makes the micro. The former head of the Federal Chancellery and the CDU General Secretary, is Co-Chairman of the Petersburg Dialogue. He sits at a round table with a dozen German politicians. Around you, the Russian people have gathered lawyers, activists, whose work in Russia is becoming more and more difficult.

They tell of their everyday lives. The a of how you branded as foreign agents in Russia, and in their daily work, to be prevented. Of colleagues, which can be traced from their point of view, illegally and legally. The other, however, by grants from the presidential Fund, which has risen this year.

For the first Time since 2012, the Petersburg dialogue will take place in Russia. More than 250 high-ranking German and Russian participants from the fields of culture, science, economy, and Religion have come to the Meeting on the Neva.

The Forum was founded 15 years ago by then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin and was seen as an important platform for the German and Russian civil societies.

Conflict issues excluded

To be attended periods of political harmony leaders such as Schröder, Putin and Angela Merkel, the dialogue leaders and Stats. But that seems to be ages ago.

Too much has happened since Russia’s island of Crimea peoples annexed two years ago, the Ukrainian semi-illegal and pro-russsichen separatists in the Donbass militarily supported. In 2014, the Petersburg dialogue has been cancelled because of it.

At this year’s 15. Dialog the two main topics are on the program: The Russian policy on Ukraine and human rights. But even if you are not officially discussed, offer you on the edge of conversation. To the official agenda, however, topics such as “Lessons from the migration crisis” and “restoration of the architectural monuments of Syria”.

In conversation: Mikhail Fedotov, adviser to the Russian President Putin (left) and foreign policy, Gernot Erler, coordinator of German working group on (r)

“We will also address problematic issues,” assures Ronald Pofalla and enters the stage, in order to keep his opening speech. Actually, someone should speak the word of greeting, namely, Bundestag President Nobert Lammert, but this said. Official Reason: Date Issues.

Political Fears Of Contact

Insiders suspect political reasons for the cancellation: Lammert did not occur together with Sergei Narischkin on a Forum. Finally, his Russian counterpart is on the sanctions list, and should not be allowed to enter the EU. Pofalla does not want to comment on this fact directly, only as much as he let on: “The sanctions in relation to Russia are correct, and they show effect.”

Even if the German guest speaker come off? Despite the hard line of a dialogue seems to be possible, you can hear in the old Soviet hotel “Pribaltijskaja” on the Gulf of Finland, everyone. Of the German participants, and representatives of the Federal government, the doubling in this year, the funding of the Petersburg Dialogue, a total of 250,000 euros.

But Mikhail Fedotov, the human rights Ombudsman of the Russian President Putin. “The dialogue of the civil societies will contribute to the improvement of the political relations between the two countries.” A goal that is far in the distance. .