Seehofer’s Visit to Moscow

The Prime Minister of Bavaria Horst Seehofer came to Moscow with official visit. On February 3, the head of Bavaria met with the president of Russia. At the meeting, Seehofer stressed the importance of cooperation between Russia and Germany.

“We in Bavaria, with our population of 13 million, are very much aware, of course, of what is happening every day in our world, whether in Syria or in Ukraine, whether refugees or crime. And we believe that only by acting together, and not in conflict with each other, can we solve these problems.”

Horst Seehofer literally split the ruling coalition in Germany. Some German politicians accused Seehofer of challenging the German Chancellor. However, Horst Seehofer, always opposed anti-Russian sanctions and openly criticized Merkel's migration policy.

• Strengthening Regionalism in Germany

In Germany, the trend of certain land separation from the federal government gradually increase. It is possible to say the “Bavarian separatism phenomenon”. For centuries, Bavaria was an independent influential states in the mosaic of other Germanic kingdoms and regions that were part of the Habsburg Empire. As soon as the Federal Government of Germany became increasingly weak and unable to cope with the challenges within the German, the separatism becomes a trend.

• Merkel against German Interests

The Germans related to the economy, business and industry with Russia have views and interests, sharply different from Merkel's policy. Merkel is under the direct supervision of Washington, causing irreparable damage to Germany. German companies go bankrupt, their strong ties with Russian partners were brutally cut off by the sanctions.

• Regionalism on European Scale

The regionalism is  extremely popular among the political parties in Europe today: in Italy, where some North regions, especially those where friendly Russian party, the Northern League, dominates, particularly the Veneto, Matteo Salvini is in favor of the anti-Russian sanctions lifting on the regional level. The similar situation is among the Catalans.