At the present stage, relations between Russia and Germany are contradictory, although both sides have repeatedly spoken out about the need to strengthen cooperation in the political, economic and cultural spheres. So on May 24, 2014 in St. Petersburg, at a meeting with the heads of world news agencies V.V. Putin said: “As for our relations with the Federal Republic. We have them in full scale... I am deeply convinced that they need to be approached very carefully.” On May 20, 2014, in an interview with the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper, Angela Merkel noted: “For us Germans, Russia is a close partner. Between the Germans and the Russians, as between the EU and Russia, there are a large number of reliable contacts. Good relations with Russia are in our interests” http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2619834 Kommersant website. In general, relations were built in the spirit of partnership.
Diplomatic relations between Germany and the USSR were established on September 13, 1955. The immediate beginning of relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation was the recognition of Russia as a successor state of the former USSR on December 26, 1991.
The legal basis for relations is laid down in the Agreement on Good Neighborliness, Partnership and Cooperation, signed on November 9, 1990 (although it was concluded with the USSR). The treaty established the main principles of relations, including mutual respect for sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, commitment to preventing wars, renunciation of any territorial claims, the desire to reduce armed forces, as well as holding regular consultations at the highest level at least once every year and at least twice a year at the level of foreign ministers, deepening economic cooperation, striving to simplify the visa regime, etc.
The Joint Statement of the President of the Russian Federation and the Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany of November 21, 1991 also served as part of the legal foundation. Of fundamental importance is the Treaty on the Final Settlement in relation to Germany of September 12, 1990, signed by the GDR, West Germany, Great Britain, the USA, the USSR and France, which outlined the main provisions on the issue of the unification of Germany (it also recorded the refusal of the united Germany to own and dispose of nuclear weapons).
A clear confirmation of Russia's interest in expanding the political dialogue with Germany was the fact that his first visit as President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin traveled to Berlin on June 15-16, 2000. From that moment on, relations with Germany became one of the priorities for Russia, which was also confirmed by the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation, adopted in July 2000 http://www.ng.ru/world/2000-07-11/1_concept.html website of the Independent newspapers. The visit of V.V. was also important. Putin to Germany on September 25-27, 2001 and his speech in the Bundestag in German. Evidence of the transition of relations to a new level is also the creation in 2001 of a public discussion forum called “St. Petersburg Dialogue”. It is held once a year and is a means of communication between the public of the two countries. The forum is carried out within six working groups: “Politics and civil society”, “Crisis prevention and peace policy”, “Economy and business life”, “Youth exchanges, education and science”, “Culture”, “Media” .
Over the past twenty-five years, Germany and Russia have managed to find solutions to issues that have remained open since Soviet times. Thus, agreements were carried out on the withdrawal of Russian troops from German territory (the withdrawal was completed on August 31, 1994), agreements were concluded on the care of war monuments and graves, on the payment by Germany of compensation to victims of Nazi persecution (400 million marks according to bilateral agreements in 1993 and more than 800 million marks according to the multilateral agreement of July 17, 2000).
Significant progress was also achieved on the issue of historical reconciliation and strengthening trust, as evidenced by the participation of the German chancellors in the celebrations in Moscow on May 9 (G. Kohl, G. Schröder, A. Merkel). In 2001, for the first time in history, the President of the Russian Federation and the Federal Chancellor of Germany laid joint wreaths at the Piskarevskoye memorial cemetery and at the memorial to Soviet soldiers in Berlin.
In the 1990s, the organizational tool for coordinating and developing bilateral economic, financial, scientific and technical relations was the Advisory Council on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. Already in June 2000, on the initiative of the President of Russia and the Federal Chancellor of Germany, a high-level working group on strategic cooperation in the field of economics and finance was established. On December 14, 2007, the Russian-German Chamber of Foreign Trade began operating in Moscow, representing the interests of entrepreneurs from both countries. In 2003, by decision of the President of the Russian Federation and the Federal Chancellor of Germany, a high-level bilateral working group on security policy issues was created.
Since 1998, regular bilateral interstate consultations have been held at the highest level with the participation of members of the governments of Russia and Germany. In October 2010, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Karl Wulff, made a state visit to the Russian Federation. In November of the same year, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation V.V. was on a working visit to Germany. Putin. In November 2011, President of the Russian Federation D.A. Medvedev visited Germany on an official visit, during which the opening ceremony of the first branch of the Nord Stream gas pipeline took place. In 2012 and 2013, working visits of V.V. took place. Putin in Germany. In 2013, as an honorary guest, A. Merkel participated in the 17th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Inter-parliamentary exchanges are also carried out as planned.
Germany's desire to cooperate with Russia is also evidenced by the Bundestag Resolution on Russian-German relations of November 6, 2012 http://russkoepole.de/ru/?option=com_content&view=article&id=915:bundestag-resol&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18&lang =ru portal of the all-German coordination council of Russian compatriots Russian Field, Bundestag resolution on Russian-German relations. It views Russia as an important strategic partner with which Germany has a long history of cooperation that needs to be maintained and expanded in the future. It is recognized that regional and global challenges can only be dealt with jointly with Russia.
Partnership relations are developed by 23 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and 14 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Interregional agreements and agreements of various types are being implemented. The closest contacts with the German lands are maintained by Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Saratov, Kaliningrad, Ulyanovsk regions, Ural region, Krasnodar region. Partnerships have been established between more than a hundred pairs of Russian and German cities. The 13th meeting of sister cities is planned for June 2015 in Karlsruhe.
The cultural component also played a significant role in the development of Russian-German relations. So, from May 23, 2011 to May 22, 2012, the “Russian-German Year of Education, Science and Innovation” was held. In 2012-2013, under the patronage of the presidents of the two countries, a program of “cross” years between Russia and Germany was implemented. Also in 2006, National Coordination Bureaus for Youth Exchanges were established in Moscow and Hamburg, carrying out practical, analytical, information and consulting work in this area.
In general, some basic features can be identified in the political relations between Germany and Russia. Bilateral relations have always been built on the perception of each other as allies with common interests and values. During the presidency of V.V. Putin, there were significant positive changes in the functioning of the foreign policy mechanism, which also affected relations with Germany. In relations with Germany, pragmatism and economic expediency prevailed due to the awareness of the importance of both countries as strategic partners. Moreover, a system of stable institutions has emerged that provide support for Russian-German relations.
Albina Evgenievna, what is the forum?
It was a meeting at the level of burgomasters and mayors of our cities, who exchanged various practices. For example, how to motivate citizens for the integrated development of territories and energy saving. How to not only develop cities, but also involve local residents in this process. Thus, citizens become investors in their territory. In general, it was an exchange of experience between the authorities and the population.
In what direction of the forum were you directly involved?
I was invited to be part of the Russian delegation to the section on energy efficiency. I participated in the discussions of the working group. The German partners care about their environment and, what I especially liked, they have a clear idea of what kind of environment their citizens want to live in and how to achieve this.
For example?
Let’s say their goal is to reduce the negative impact of a certain production on one of the lands. At the same time, an action plan has been developed. If the Germans suddenly realize that the goal is unattainable, they change the plan during the period indicated in the program. That is, even in case of failure, the goal setting remains the same, only the implementation plan is revised.
How do German municipalities interact with residents?
The authorities actively involve citizens in the process of environmental protection. Local residents can invest in renewable energy. This is profitable for citizens and reduces the negative impact on the environment. Today they are moving from thermal power plants to wind generation, to solar panels, of which there are a lot in Germany. Citizens themselves are installing solar panels everywhere. The development of solar energy is progressing by leaps and bounds. The burgomasters shared useful developments in this area with their colleagues.
Is the placement of solar panels a regulated process or is residents’ own initiative sufficient?
Usually people themselves decide to switch to alternative types of energy. Installing batteries is not too expensive. In some territories, municipalities do this, in others, residents help the authorities. The effect is overall, including financial savings. But the main thing is to reduce the harmful impact on the environment, since more and more electricity is required.
By the way, energy efficiency is not an empty word for Germans. By protecting their homes from heat leakage and installing metering systems, they control energy consumption. Regions share their best practices with each other, trying to increase their productivity
The mayors of several Russian cities were in Berlin, but so far we are only in the process of familiarizing ourselves with renewable energy sources and citizen initiatives. Energy efficiency for us is just a motto for reducing electricity consumption, at the level of calls to turn off the lights where we do not use them. Maximum – we are introducing the installation of energy-saving light bulbs. Our plans and specific technologies, of course, lag behind the German ones.
In what ways do you think the Russian-German Year is useful for both countries?
First of all, because we are getting closer. It was nice to see our mayors and burgomasters exchanging farming methods. Many were interested in whether life-supporting structures, for example, water utilities, were in private hands or in the ownership of municipalities. The genuine interest of Russian and German colleagues in the implemented practices was felt. Even the unsuccessful ones: we were told that Berlin’s water utility was at one time private, but in 2013 it was deprivatized and returned to the city. Business was unable to cope with the development of the water utility, and technology remained at the same level.
And in what ways are we ahead of the Germans? Do they have any problems at the municipal level?
We also have excellent practices. The St. Petersburg water utility has been burning sludge for a long time. In Berlin, the sediment is disposed of in specialized landfills, which is very harmful to the environment. The Germans have plans to modernize water treatment. The municipality of Berlin must invest 2 billion euros by 2024 to rebuild its water treatment system.
During meetings with German colleagues, common topical issues emerged. Last year, the German capital was flooded after heavy rains. I know that, for example, in Nizhny Novgorod the storm drainage system also does not work well. The situation is similar even in Moscow. Meanwhile, the average bill for water use in Berlin is 220 euros per resident per year, and in Moscow - 120 euros. How to quickly cope with precipitation and set up a storm sewer system during peak load periods - megacities should exchange such experience with each other.
What did you focus on your speech at the forum?
Of course, I called on everyone - both Russians and Germans - to conserve resources. Save water and electricity. She spoke about the need for widespread use of energy efficiency, which is part of resource conservation. I believe the fifth type of fuel is simple economy. Sometimes we don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but just be more careful and careful about preserving what we have. And this works in both Russia and Germany.
In 1242. There were extensive trade relations between northwestern Russia and northern Germany, and Novgorod and Pskov participated in the trade of the Hanseatic League. In 1410, Smolensk regiments took part in the Battle of Grunwald as part of the troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
On January 29, 1894, a Russian-German trade agreement was concluded for a period of ten years, according to which both countries lowered duties on each other’s goods. The signing of the agreement was preceded by a tense trade war.
This was the first interstate agreement regulating relations between Germany and Russia after the end of the First World War. It was subsequently confirmed and expanded by other treaties, in particular the Berlin Treaty of 1926. By signing the Treaty of Rapallo, both the Weimar Republic and Soviet Russia, which were in international isolation, hoped to strengthen their positions in the international political arena. The signing was also important for the economies of the two countries: for Germany, Russia was a good market for industrial products that were boycotted by other European countries; For Russia, cooperation with Germany meant the only opportunity to build its own industry. For example, Germany supplied equipment for the development of Caspian oil fields. The benefit was mutual: Russia independently, without the help of other countries, develops oil fields; Germany is reducing its dependence on the UK and US oil cartels.
Despite the widespread belief that secret additional protocols on military cooperation were also signed at Rapallo, no additional or separate agreements were concluded. However, even before the Rapallo meeting, the Weimar Republic, which militarily had the right only to troops for “internal needs,” collaborated with Russia in this area. With the establishment of diplomatic relations, work in this direction was intensified: Germany received the opportunity to conduct military research activities and train its military specialists for aviation and tank forces, which it was prohibited from after the First World War under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles; Russia gained access to German military developments and the opportunity to train its military personnel.
As part of military cooperation, in 1925, a joint flight and tactical school was organized near Lipetsk on the basis of an existing airfield and facilities, the rental of which was free. Funding for the school's activities, as well as the reconstruction and construction of infrastructure, was carried out by the German side. Under the leadership of German specialists, over the 8 years of its existence, about 120 pilots for Germany and a comparable number of military specialists for the Soviet Union were trained and retrained.
On October 3, 1926, a document was signed on the creation of a joint tank school near Kazan, but practical training there began only in the spring of 1929. No more than 12 people studied at the school at a time. On June 20, 1933, the school was disbanded. During the operation of the school, up to 30 Reichswehr officers were trained for the German side. One of the Soviet graduates of the school was Hero of the Soviet Union, Lieutenant General of Tank Forces S. M. Krivoshein.
Also in 1926, an agreement was signed on the creation of a joint chemical laboratory for military purposes (Tomka Object). In the Saratov region at the Tomka facility " methods of using toxic substances in artillery and aviation were tested, as well as means and methods for degassing contaminated areas».
However, against the backdrop of events in 1938 (Anschluss of Austria, Munich Agreement, Anglo-German and Franco-German declarations of friendship and non-aggression, Vienna Arbitration) and 1939 (local war with Japan, failure of mutual assistance negotiations with England and France), the Soviet Union was forced revised his foreign policy, moving towards restoring relations with Germany. A trade agreement was concluded between the USSR and Germany in 1939, a Non-Aggression Treaty and a Treaty of Friendship and Borders were signed. After this, anti-German themes disappeared from Soviet propaganda for the next two years. At the negotiations on November 12-13, 1940 in Berlin, Hitler invited V. M. Molotov to consider the issue of the USSR joining the Tripartite Pact and becoming a member of the Axis powers, although on the same day, November 12, Hitler gave the order: “ Regardless of the outcome of these negotiations, all previously envisaged preparations for the East should be continued.", and the development of the operation to attack the USSR entered its final stage. According to Molotov, " the meeting initiated by the fascist side was only an ostentatious demonstration" And " the inevitability of German aggression has increased incredibly, and in the near future» .
After defeat in the war, Germany was divided between the Allies into four occupation zones. On September 7, the Federal Republic of Germany was founded on the territory of the occupation zones of Great Britain, the United States and France, with its capital in Bonn. A month later in the Soviet sector - the German Democratic Republic with its capital in East Berlin. The Federal Republic of Germany joined NATO, and the German Democratic Republic joined the Warsaw Pact. On 13 August, a wall was erected between East and West Berlin. Thus, "East Germany" became the USSR's main outpost in the Cold War.
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, which was considered one of the most combat-ready in the Soviet Army, was stationed on the territory of the GDR. Germany also became, perhaps, the most important center of activity for the State Security Committee in its confrontation with Western intelligence agencies. It was mainly in Germany that the exchange of arrested spies took place between the USA and the USSR (in this regard, the Glienicke Bridge became famous).
Germany is Russia's most important trading partner, accounting for 13.6 percent of all Russian foreign trade. Russia for Germany, based on absolute financial indicators, is the 10th most important trading partner and trade with it accounts for about 3% of the total figure. However, the import of Russian energy resources is of a strategic nature for Germany. Already today, Germany imports more than 30% of natural gas and 20% of oil from Russia, and according to experts, this share will increase even more in the future. Russia imports many mechanical engineering products from Germany.
Culturally, there is close cooperation between both states. 2003 was the year of Russia in Germany, and the year of Germany in Russia. Russia was the main country at the Frankfurt Book Fair. One of the periodically arising issues related to the cultural sphere is the question of the return to Germany of captured art taken by Soviet soldiers after the end of World War II.
The humanitarian direction of interaction between Russia and Germany is regulated by the Intergovernmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany on cultural cooperation of December 16, 1992, the Intergovernmental Agreement on the study of the Russian language in the Federal Republic of Germany and the German language in the Russian Federation of October 9, 2003, and the Intergovernmental Agreement in area of youth cooperation dated December 21, 2004, as well as a number of interdepartmental documents.
| International relations of Russia | |
|---|---|
| Countries of the world | |
| CIS member states | |
| Europe | |
| Asia | |
| Africa |
Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Democratic Republic of the Congo |
And ahead is the Russian-German Year of regional-municipal partnerships!
This initiative of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia S.V. Lavrov and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Z. Gabriel noted the Conference of Partner Cities, which was held in Krasnodar from June 28 to June 30, 2017 and in whichA delegation from the Ivanovo regional branch of the international public foundation “Russian Peace Foundation” took partconsisting of the Chairman of the Board of the PSI IOF RFM Azeeva Galina Timofeevna, member of the Board of the PSI IOF RFA, director of the Interdom Galina Ivanovna Shevchenko, German language teacher of the Garsky school of the Ilyinsky district Olga Nikolaevna Belova, sculptor People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Aleksandrovich Surovtsev, youth activist of the city of Ivanovo Nikita Kurochkin.
In a joint statement of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Russia S.V. Lavrov and the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany Gabriel on holding in 2017-2018. Russian-German Year of Regional-Municipal Partnerships stated that“It is planned to deepen communication, mutual understanding and mutual trust in Russian-German relations by further intensifying cooperation at the municipal and regional levels. A special role is played by numerous partnerships between federal states, regions, districts, cities and municipalities, as well as between public associations, universities and schools. Such ties form the basis of active Russian-German relations. Many of these partnerships in 2017 and 2018 are celebrating their 25th anniversary. We intend to raise public awareness of these partnerships and use the momentum they generate to forge additional partnerships between Germans and Russians, thereby strengthening mutual trust. We are convinced that municipal and regional partnerships are an integral supporting element of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Germany.”
“The year is intended to ensure positive dynamics of interaction and contacts between civil societies of the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany. Our common desire is to increase, through numerous intermunicipal and interregional partnerships, the number and intensity of direct contacts between Russians and Germans and thereby strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding between the societies of our countries. It is in politically difficult times that visible signals of cooperation are especially important.” “We have high expectations for the Russian-German Year of Regional and Municipal Partnerships in 2017-2018. Contacts and connections between people from different spheres of civic activity that arise within the framework of municipal and regional partnerships create an invaluable foundation for the future of good neighborly relations between Russians and Germans.”
Our city of Ivanovo is connected with Germany by contacts established since 1990. Over the years, a wide variety of events have taken place both at the level of public organizations and at the municipal level. All projects and events were and are being carried out in close cooperation with partners from Germany, the German Embassy in Moscow, and the Goethe Institute in Moscow.
This includes the implementation of international Russian-German projects “Together we overcome borders” and “A world without borders”, this is the work of youth Russian-German Peace Camps, as well as the annual events “Germany. Winter's Tale", campaign "Fascinating German" (publication of documentary and literary-fiction books in 2 languages).
For more than 20 years, we have been holding Days of Russian-German Friendship in Ivanovo and the Ivanovo region. In recent years, within the framework of German Days in the regions of Russia with the organizational participation of the German Embassy in Moscow. The Days of Russian-German Friendship annually include more than 25 events that contribute to the development and deepening of Russian-German relations, the development of intellectual and creative activity of children and youth. Concerts, competitions, olympiads, round tables, exhibitions, regional readings, photo competitions, seminars for schoolchildren and students studying German in Ivanovo and the Ivanovo region, including the television competition “Do you know Germany?”, held jointly with the German Embassy in Moscow and partners from Germany.
Azeeva G.T., who spoke at the section “Memory of the past for the sake of the future - the contribution of partner cities to the culture of memory in dialogue.” spoke about the initiative of the Ivanovo regional branch of the Russian Peace Foundation to develop anderect a monument (or memorial sign) dedicated to the victims of fascism - Soviet prisoners of war buried in the town of Stuckenbrock in Western Germany.The idea was especially warmly supported by the Russian participants in the section. Since 1991, Ivanovo delegations have annually visited this mournful place - Stuckenbrock, holding memory actions there and laying flowers and wreaths.
joomla modniyportal.ru
According to various sources, from 65 to 150 thousand Soviet prisoners of war were buried in Stukenbrock. Many of the victims of this sad place were our fellow countrymen, Ivanovo residents. Establishing their names if possible and finding relatives is the task of the search teams. (This difficult work has already been taken on by the long-time partner of the Ivanovo Peace Fund - the Ivanovo youth search team “Poisk” under the leadership of V.V. Egorov, who has been searching for and burying the remains of soldiers of the Great Patriotic War for almost 30 years. It has already been possible to establish the names of almost 100 natives of the Ivanovo region, former prisoners of war of Stalag 326 in Stuckenbrock!) The work ahead will not be easy. But the goal has been outlined, and now we need to build a step-by-step plan for its implementation throughout Russia.But the monument should be erected in this place where the remains of Soviet prisoners of war are buried!
