Looking into the impact of consulate closures happening globally

Over the years, the shifting international landscape has had some powerful consequences. One of these consequences is the closure of diplomatic missions and expulsion of diplomats and staff.

On September 7, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying, “The Russian side is revoking its consent to the operation of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in St Petersburg.” It continues saying that “it was the German authorities who had once again provoked a new escalation in bilateral relations.” Included in the statement was also the closure of German cultural houses belonging to the Goethe-Institut in Moscow, Saint Petersburg and Novosibirsk.

This accusation is in reference to Germany claiming that Russia conducted a drone attack at the Leipzig/Halle International Airport last month. Germany responded by closing the Russian mission in Bonn along with a cultural house in Berlin. But just how disruptive is this and why is it such a big deal? 

Diplomatic missions serve a purpose beyond simply providing a physical location for diplomats. Embassies and consulates help their citizens abroad, process visas and documents, maintain communication between governments, and provide channels for negotiation when relations between countries become strained. In the absolute worst case, they’re often the only safe place for a citizen living outside their country to go when things fall apart.

Closing any diplomatic mission creates more than an empty building; it reduces the number of points of contact to communicate directly with the hosting government and make necessary services for traveling, especially, much less efficient or not available.

Cultural institutions such as the Goethe-Institut also provide another avenue for countries to maintain connections through language, education and cultural exchange. In the case of Russia and Germany, the closures are another visible sign of how much their relationship has deteriorated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. What might appear to be a relatively small administrative decision can become part of a larger pattern of diplomatic retaliation. 

Neither side is completely cutting diplomatic relations, but each closure narrows the channels through which the two countries can interact and makes returning to friendly relations much harder.

As governments retaliate back and forth, mirroring the other, the question arises of how much diplomatic infrastructure can be removed before it becomes too difficult to maintain any diplomacy at all.