German State Refuses Forum
Published: November 21, 2012 (Issue # 1736)
Authorities in the German state of Baden-Wurtemberg have declined to host the annual Petersburg Dialogue German-Russian conference in 2013.
The suggestion to hold the conference in Baden-Baden was made by the organizers of the event. The authorities of the state said the conference would involve expenditure that the region could not afford for the moment, web portal Fontanka.ru reported.
The region’s authorities reportedly calculated they would have to spend 3 million euros ($3.8 million) on the event and additional policing.
However, sources with links to the organizers of the conference said the government of the region would not have to cover too many expenses, as businesses interested in good relations with Russia would cover the major costs, Fontanka reported, citing German magazine Der Spiegel.