Russia Debate: BSW Meets Russia’s Ambassador - Brandenburg SPD Keeps Its Distance
The invitation extended by the BSW (Alliance for Germany) faction in the Brandenburg state parliament to Russian Ambassador Sergei Netschajew has sparked controversy, particularly given the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The BSW invited representatives from several embassies, including those of Russia, Ukraine, the USA, and various European countries, to the opening of an exhibition titled ”War and Peace” featuring works by artists Hans and Lea Grundig on tuesday. According to BSW information, Ambassador Netschajew, along with representatives from Belarus and Hungary, attended. News of the invitation was first reported by Nordkurier and Tagesspiegel.
BSW parliamentary group leader Andreas Lüders defended the invitation, stating, “You have to get in touch with the warring parties,” as reported by the dpa. “Otherwise you could not stand up for peace.”
Though, CDU parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann sharply criticized the move in Nordkurier and Tagesspiegel, saying, “anyone who offers the Russian war strikers a stage has nothing to do with peace.” Lüders rejected this criticism.
The SPD parliamentary group in Brandenburg, coalition partners with the BSW as December of last year, expressed skepticism. “As a SPD parliamentary group, we are currently not coming up with the idea of inviting Russia’s ambassador,” said SPD parliamentary group leader Björn Lüttmann to the German Press Agency. He cited “the war of russia against Ukraine and the suspected current injuries of European airspace” as reasons, adding that the exhibition opening was a matter for the BSW faction and he woudl refrain from further comment.
Separately, Ambassador netschajew visited the Sachsenhausen memorial on the 80th anniversary of the war, were he honored fallen soldiers of the Red Army. This visit drew attention as the Federal Foreign office had previously recommended that federal states, municipalities, and government memorials refrain from inviting official Russian representatives to commemorative events marking the end of World War II.
The artists Hans Grundig (1901-1958) and Lea Grundig (1906-1977) were members of the Communist Party prior to World War II and were persecuted by the National Socialists.
