Germany closes its consulates general in Russia's Novosibirsk and Yekaterinburg

NOVOSIBIRSK/YEKATERINBURG. Dec 1 (Interfax) - Germany has closed its consulate general in the Russian city of Novosibirsk, a statement published on the website of Germany's missions to Russia said.

"The consulate general in Novosibirsk has been closed. Please contact the German embassy in Moscow," the statement said.

The German consulate general in Novosibirsk opened in 1994. The consular district comprised the regions of Siberia and the Far East.

The website of Germany's missions to Russia later announced the closure of the German consulate general in Yekaterinburg.

"The consulate general in Yekaterinburg has been closed. Please contact the German embassy in Moscow," it said.

It was reported earlier that Germany had closed its consulate general in Kaliningrad.

The visa departments of the aforementioned diplomatic missions stopped accepting applications for national visas in May.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said the German authorities demanded in late May 2023 that Russia close its consulates general in Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich and Frankfurt before January 1, 2024. Simultaneously, the German Foreign Ministry notified Moscow about closing the German consulates general in Yekaterinburg, Kaliningrad and Novosibirsk on December 1.

"It is absolutely obvious that the German authorities take such actions in furtherance of the German government's policy aimed to terminate the entire range of Russian-German relations, including minimization of bilateral relations in the diplomatic dimension," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a commentary on the ministry website.

Russia "is taking measures to maximize the possible mitigation of difficulties created by the German authorities for our citizens and Germans interested in maintaining contacts with our country," the ministry said.