The Bundestag raised the question of the situation in Germany with the Russian language, which does not receive sufficient support. This is stated in the request to the Federal Government of Germany for deputies from the Left Party (LPG), signed by the co-chairs of its parliamentary faction Sarah Wagenknecht and Dietmar Barch.
As emphasized in the document, with the text of which RT got acquainted, Russian is an official or working language in such international organizations as the UN, Council of Europe, OSCE, International Atomic Energy Agency, CIS, SCO, EAEU. It is also indicated that the Russian language takes the second place in the world after English among the most popular languages of Internet content.
At the same time, deputies note that today about 6 million people living in Germany are Russian-speaking, and in 2017-2018, more than 100 thousand students studied Russian as a foreign language.
However, according to the document, teachers of the Russian language in Germany say that this subject does not receive the necessary support from the relevant departments of certain federal states of Germany.
“The associations of Russian language teachers in Germany state that, in their opinion, the Russian language as a school subject does not receive sufficient support from the ministries of culture of the federal states. A commitment to the subject and a course towards strengthening the Russian language in schools take place only in very few lands, ”emphasized the request of the German deputies to the federal authorities.
In addition, in the document, representatives of the Left Party indicate that the Russian language for the German government is not only an instrument of dialogue in relations with Russia.
“Since the German government, unfortunately questioning (the authors of the document. - RT ), clearly advocates the parallel use of reliable intimidation and dialogue against Russia, it should be assumed that the Russian language is not only a means of communication for the German government in dialogue, but also the language of a possible foreign policy or military rival or adversary, ”the request says.
In this regard, the Bundestag deputies are interested in: "Does the federal government have an agenda for the development of Russian as a foreign language for mutual understanding between peoples and economic cooperation between Germany and Russia, and if so, what is it."
In addition, politicians intend to find out, "in conversations with representatives of the governments of which states, Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel uses her knowledge of the Russian language."
Recall that earlier the leader of the Federal Republic of Germany has repeatedly demonstrated knowledge of the language in communicating with Russian politicians. In particular, in October last year, Merkel in Russian asked a question to Russian President Vladimir Putin about his coat.
It is worth noting that the LPG regularly calls for better relations with the Russian Federation. So, in November of this year, the head of the Left faction in Germany called for the lifting of sanctions against Russia and the intensification of relations between the countries.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel
- Reuters
- © Michele Tantussi
Significance in the Eurasian space
The Russian language will become increasingly important in the framework of economic cooperation in the Eurasian space. This position was expressed in an interview with RT by one of the authors of a request sent to the Federal Government - Andrei Gunko, speaker on European politics of the Left faction in the Bundestag.
“We must not only preserve, but also strengthen the Russian language in Germany as the language of our fellow citizens, friends and partners. Without knowledge of the language, we cannot understand the country and its people. It is also obvious that in the process of developing the Eurasian Economic Union, the Russian language will become increasingly important in the Eurasian space as a language of economic cooperation, ”he said.
At the same time, the deputy emphasized that the planned closure of the Russian language department at the Institute of Applied Linguistics and Translation at the University of Leipzig is of particular concern in this context.
Jacqueline Nastich, a member of the Left Party, also noted in an interview with RT that the Russian language is an important tool for understanding and cooperation between Germany and Russia.
“In my opinion, the issue of supporting the Russian language in various areas of German society is very relevant. I advocate that the Federal Government support the study of the Russian language for peaceful, diplomatic purposes and for the purpose of mutually beneficial cooperation, but in no case for a military confrontation and not for an arms race with Russia, ”Nastich emphasized.
According to the Bundestag deputy, the strengthening of the Russian language is necessary for Germany to improve relations not only with Russia, but also with other post-Soviet states.
“In addition, do not forget that not only in Russia but also in many other countries of the former USSR, Russian is still an important language of communication. Thus, the support and popularization of the Russian language in Germany will also facilitate dialogue and strengthen relations between our country and these states, ”she concluded.