BERLIN. May 31 (Interfax) - Berlin has notified Moscow of the need to close four out of the five Russian consulates in Germany in response to Russia's decision to cap the number of personnel at the German embassy and relevant institutions, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
German Federal Foreign Office spokesperson Christofer Burger made the announcement to journalists in Berlin. The measure is aimed at ensuring "parity of personnel and structures" between the two countries.
The Russian embassy in Berlin will continue to function, he said.
Germany will have to close three of its consulates in Russia by November 2023, Burger said.
On April 22, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "the Russian side has decided to symmetrically expel German diplomats from Russia and substantially reduce the maximum number of employees at German diplomatic missions in our country."
The German embassy in Moscow said in May that the personnel limit at German establishments in Russia would take effect in early June and the German government was working on measures to establish factual parity.
Western media reported with reference to a source at the German Foreign Office that several hundred German public officials, including diplomats, employees of culture organizations, and teachers at Goethe-Institut in Moscow, would have to leave Russia soon.