DISINFO: Germany strengthens line to contain Russia
SUMMARY
In Berlin, they have only strengthened the line on the systematic containment of Russia. The high tribunes in Germany regularly portrayed Russia "almost as a threat to European security." There are also baseless and increasingly absurd accusations against Moscow. Some German media are also very anti-Russian.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West allegedly pursuing a belligerent and hostile agenda to contain Russia.
Germany is trying to keep channels of communications and cooperation open with Russia. The political relationship between the two countries is overshadowed by Russia's violations of fundamental principles of international law, such as Russia's annexation of Crimea and Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine. Also problematic is Russia's continued military support for the Assad regime in the Syrian conflict or Russia's role in cyberattacks on the German Bundestag.
According to the German Foreign Ministry, at the same time, dialogue with Russia remains important. The rules of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe are an important basis. In the Normandy format, Germany is working with France to implement the Minsk agreements. The two countries exchange views on current security policy issues within the framework of the German-Russian High-level Working Group on Security Policy (HAGS).
Also, an important bilateral forum for German-Russian dialogue is the annual Petersburg Dialogue with ten working groups on various areas of society. The joint German-Russian theme years each highlight one area of bilateral cooperation in particular.
There is a lively cultural and educational exchange between Germany and Russia. Youth exchange is supported by the German-Russian Youth Exchange Foundation, among others. Moreover, the EU and its member states have maintained a clear policy of reaching out to Russian society and youth, mainly through the Erasmus+ student exchange programme and other people to people contacts.
German media, like that in other pluralist democracies, represent a wide range of political opinions and do not have a single editorial policy for any country or topic.
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