Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder need not fear being expelled from the SPD because of his controversial statements on the Ukraine conflict and his connections to Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
"German party law, and by the way also the statute of the SPD, does not provide for party exclusions for violent differences of opinion, provocations or business interests," SPD general secretary Kevin Kühnert told the "Rheinische Post".
His party is proud of its democratic culture and the rules of the game, "which differ from those in, let's say, Moscow."
Please refrain from making public statements
In the summer, Schröder is to join the supervisory board of the Russian gas company Gazprom in addition to his existing mandates.
From the SPD point of view, that doesn't change anything: "His statements have no impact on government policy and will not have that in the future either - no matter what further professional path Gerhard Schröder takes," affirmed Kühnert.
The SPD leadership recently asked Schröder to refrain from making public statements about the Ukraine conflict.
Earlier, the 77-year-old former Chancellor sparked outrage by accusing Ukraine of "saber-rattling".
Most recently, however, the left-wing MP Gregor Gysi Schröder, together with his successor Angela Merkel (CDU), proposed as a mediator in the crisis.
Moscow states that it feels threatened by NATO's eastward expansion and, according to Western information, has gathered around 150,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.
Including troops of the pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, there could be up to 190,000 soldiers.
However, Moscow denies any attack plans.
In a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, Putin said he denounced "provocations" by the Ukrainian army.