Chancellor Vs. President: Sochi Boycott Stirs Up Tensions in Berlin [View all]

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/merkel-angry-at-president-gauck-for-cancelling-russia-visit-a-939560.html



President Joachim Gauck's decision to cancel his visit to the Winter Olympics in Sochi has angered Chancellor Angela Merkel. The lack of coordination between Germany's head of government and its head of state makes relations with Russia even more difficult to manage.

By Ralf Neukirch
December 17, 2013 – 05:00 PM

Angela Merkel didn't want Joachim Gauck to be president. He's too independent for her liking. But she had to bow to pressure from her coalition partner at the time, the business-friendly Free Democrats. Still, her cooperation with him had been smooth -- until last week. That's when her fears were confirmed for the first time when he announced he would not travel to the Winter Olympics in Sochi.. Merkel learned of his decision in the media, according to people close to her.

SPIEGEL reported Gauck's decision, for which he didn't provide an official explanation. The cancellation was quickly interpreted as a protest against the human rights situation in Russua and the politics of President Vladimir Putin. Gauck's office didn't deny that view.

Gauck's decision didn't just provoke angry reactions in Russia. It also triggered a political debate within the government about the foreign policy of the president. The Chancellery and Foreign Ministry aren't happy about Gauck's behavior, to put it mildly.

Merkel was irritated about the furor the president triggered. She would have preferred to have been informed by him personally. She must have seen his action as grossly impolite, especially given the fact that the presidential office took it upon itself to inform the Russian embassy in Berlin.