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Old friends in Moscow: Former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The two are friends to this day.
(Archive photo from 2018) © picture alliance / Alexei Druzhinin/POOL SPUTNIK KREMLIN/AP/dpa |
Alexei Druzhinin
Former Chancellor Schröder is celebrating his big birthday as usual in a large circle.
Why Kremlin boss Putin is not on the guest list this time.
Hanover – The guest list for former Chancellor Schröder’s 80th birthday is still secret.
But one thing is certain: his long-time friend Vladimir Putin isn't into it.
Because the Russian president would have to expect arrest in Germany because of an international arrest warrant.
Things were different on Schröder's past milestone birthdays.
For Schröder's 60th birthday, for example, Putin traveled to Hanover with a Cossack choir - at that time, Schröder was still Chancellor and Putin was a member of the G8 along with the leading Western heads of state and government.
Ten years later, on the former chancellor's 70th birthday, he was honored with a reception by the SPD - and with a party with Putin in St. Petersburg.
For the 80th the starting point is different.
There is still a celebration.
Unlike his 70th birthday: Schröder will not celebrate with Putin
For Schröder's 80th birthday in April, his wife Soyeon Schröder-Kim will give him a party in Berlin that will have a few surprises in store for him.
Among other things, the guest list should remain under wraps until the very end.
“My wife does that and it’s a secret,” said Schröder in an interview with the
German Press Agency
.
“I know friends will definitely be invited.
But I don’t know any more details.”
Schröder turns 80 on April 7th. The celebration in Berlin is not scheduled to take place until almost three weeks later, on April 27th.
The Schröders do not disclose the location.
“Because the celebration and the design are my surprise gift for my husband, I can’t tell you anything about it at the moment,” Schröder-Kim told
dpa
.
But she is working “at full speed” on preparing the celebration.
Unlike his 70th birthday, Schröder is not planning to travel to Russia to celebrate with Putin.
“It doesn’t look like that,” Schröder told the dpa in response to a question and added: “There is no reason to make my 80th birthday a political event, and I don’t plan to talk about private matters on the occasion of my birthday .” In 2014, shortly after the Russian annexation of Crimea, the former Chancellor celebrated his 70th birthday with Putin at a Nord Stream AG reception in the Yusupov Palace in St. Petersburg.
Despite the Ukraine war: Schröder maintains his friendship with Putin
Schröder has been friends with Putin since he was chancellor from 1998 to 2005 and continues to work for the predominantly Russian companies that run the Nord Stream pipelines through the Baltic Sea.
Although he has called the Russian attack on Ukraine a mistake, he still maintains his friendship with Putin.
That's why there will no longer be any official receptions in honor of Schröder on his 80th birthday.
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In 2014, the SPD honored its former chancellor and former chairman with a ceremony in the Berlin art museum Hamburger Bahnhof.
In his speech, the then SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel called Schröder “one of the most unusual social democratic politicians”.
“He went all out in everything he did.
For himself, for the SPD, but also for the country,” said Gabriel.
Meanwhile, the SPD leadership no longer even invites Schröder to their party conferences, as is actually usual for former party leaders.
The reception in Hanover's town hall, which the Lower Saxony state capital hosted in 2014 for its then honorary citizen Schröder, will also not take place this time.
Schröder resigned his honorary citizenship after proceedings to revoke it were initiated against him.
(bg/dpa)