The news that several politicians from the German Alternative for Germany (AfD) party plan to attend the BRICS summit in Russia has triggered a strong backlash in the German political arena. The mainstream parties, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democratic Party (SPD), criticized the trip as "damaging national interests" and even called it "treason." AfD dismissed the criticism as "unfounded," claiming that critics "know nothing about geopolitics."

Several AfD politicians' planned trip to Russia continues to face strong criticism from the CDU and SPD.

Roderich Kiesewetter, an expert on foreign affairs of the CDU, told Handelsblatt over the weekend that through this visit, AfD politicians have "clearly and intentionally" become tools of Russia's hybrid war against Germany and Europe. Martin Huber, secretary of the CSU, even called it "treason."

AfD rejects: "No knowledge of geopolitics"

Hans Neuhoff, a member of the European Parliament and an AfD member, rejected the above criticism, calling it "baseless accusations."

According to media reports, four AfD members - European Parliament member Neuhoff, federal parliament member Steffen Kothé and Rainer Rothfuß, as well as the chairman of the AfD in Saxony, Jörg Urban - plan to travel to Sochi on the Black Sea from November 13 to 17 to attend the BRICS meeting. The BRICS group originally included Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, and has now expanded to include more countries.

Neuhoff told Handelsblatt that he will attend a conference hosted by the European Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, focusing on the prospects of "relations between the EU and BRICS." He criticized: "Those politicians from the coalition who believe we should ignore BRICS know nothing about geopolitics."

AfD denies "treason" allegations

Bernd Baumann, the head of the AfD parliamentary group in the Bundestag, said in an interview with the newspaper that the AfD parliamentary group has passed a unanimous resolution condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine as "an illegal war of aggression under international law." In response to the "treason" accusation, Baumann countered, "If contact with Moscow counts as treason, then Franz Josef Strauß, the former chairman of the CSU, would have been guilty of treason long ago."

Roderich Kiesewetter, an expert on foreign affairs of the CDU, called Russia a "terrorist state" in an interview with Handelsblatt. He claimed that Moscow deliberately supports "pro-Kremlin parties like the AfD" to weaken Germany's democratic system and expand Russia's influence in Germany.

Warning of Germany falling into dependence on Russia again

Sebastian Roloff, the spokesperson for economic policy of the SPD parliamentary group, also accused the AfD, saying "their actions serve the interests of Russian dictator Putin, thereby harming Germany's national interests." He pointed out that the AfD hopes Germany will again rely on Russian gas, thus falling back into dependence on Russia.

Gitta Connemann, president of the CDU's association for small and medium enterprises, warned that such regression would bring "fatal consequences." In an interview with Handelsblatt, she said, "Anyone seeking closer ties with the Kremlin is endangering investments, jobs, Germany's energy security, domestic prosperity, and European stability."

The German news portal t-online reported on Thursday that AfD politicians plan to go to Sochi and arrange a meeting with Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitri Medvedev. According to t-online, Markus Frohnmaier, the foreign affairs spokesperson of the AfD parliamentary group, later prohibited this meeting. Medvedev is considered a hardline representative of Putin and has repeatedly made sharp verbal attacks on Germany and its government.

AfD's pro-Russian and pro-Chinese stance

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) is a far-right populist party in Germany. In May this year, the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution officially classified the entire AfD as an extremist organization, stating that its racist ideology violates constitutional principles, discriminates against specific groups, and threatens the liberal democratic order. The party leaders then filed a lawsuit, claiming that "state power is misused to suppress and exclude opponents."

The party has also continuously faced criticism for its pro-Russian and pro-Chinese stance.

Source: DW

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7571115055882715688/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [up/down] buttons below.