ANALYSIS: Next German Government Should Make New Outreach To Russia

The next German government will need to take up dialogue with Russia on matters of mutual concern after Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down at the end of her term, experts told Sputnik

BERLIN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th September, 2021) The next German government will need to take up dialogue with Russia on matters of mutual concern after Chancellor Angela Merkel steps down at the end of her term, experts told Sputnik.

Wolfgang Ischinger, a former diplomat and presently chairman of the influential Munich Security Conference, told Sputnik that Germany was still seeking to engage Russia on a number of issues.

"The future Federal government will and should want to continue dialogue with Moscow... This concerns global problems, such as climate change and security issues, including arms control and cyber security," he said.

Thomas Kunze, the head of the Moscow office at the Konrad Adenauer foundation, a political think tank affiliated with Merkel's Union bloc, said this Sunday's elections would give new impetus to the German-Russian relationship.

"Considering our shared history and the situation faced by the world, no German party can remain indifferent to Russia," he said.

Merkel's would-be successor Armin Laschet, of the Union bloc, cast himself as a continuity candidate who will seek cooperation with Russia where their opinions converge. Social Democrats' Olaf Scholz, the frontrunner in the race for chancellor, said that ties with Russia should remain intact, while the Greens' Annalena Baerbock has been outspokenly hawkish about Russia and its gas pipeline.

Kunze argued that the completion of Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas link with Germany is a testimony to their energy security connection. He said the two countries would also need to communicate on Afghanistan to prevent it from becoming a terrorist safe haven.

Ernst-Joerg von Studnitz, a former German ambassador to Russia and honorary chairman of the German-Russian Forum, pointed out to Sputnik that the outgoing chancellor never allowed dialogue with Russia to break down, even at the height of the Ukrainian crisis.

"No matter how strongly she advocated for sanctions on Russia over Ukraine, she has always stood for developing ties with Russia based on mutual interests," the former diplomat said.

He suggested that whoever succeeds Merkel would "aim for a sensible and constructive relationship" with Russia.

Klaus Ernst, the head of the German parliament's economy and energy committee, said the new government should help end sanctions on Russia and protect Europe against further foreign sanctions after it successfully staved off Washington's attack on Nord Stream.

"Most measures needed to improve ties with Russia should be adopted at the EU level. They are ending sanctions on Russia and creating a bigger toolbox for protecting the EU against sanctions that break international laws. I see it as a good start which the federal government can endorse," he said.