Difficult relations between Germany and Russia

Relations between Germany and Russia, which are these days in the middle of a bilateral summit, not going through a good moment. It is not economic ties, which are, on the contrary, through a positive moment, as the political relationship, where there is a very clear difference of opinion on many issues. The main problems concern the Syrian conflict, where the two sides are on opposite sides, but, above all, the issue of human rights in the former Soviet territory. Moscow on the Syrian issue maintains its intransigent attitude, which takes the form of an almost total support to the Assad regime for strategic opportunities related to the presence of the only naval base in the Mediterranean, situated right in Syria. Russia has so far exercised all its power of disqualification under permanent seat on the Security Council at the United Nations, preventing any kind of resolution aimed at ending the conflict. Germany, although unwilling to armed intervention, the type of one that took place in Libya, it is strongly criticizes the inaction of the UN, effectively blocked from Moscow and Beijing. Berlin is inconceivable the Russian attitude, which is seen as merely functional to its own narrow self-interest, which is sacrificed peace in the country, with dangerous repercussions on the balance of a very important region for world peace, given the presence of Israel on the border clashes. But, despite the severity of the Syrian issue, the biggest problems between the two countries resulting from treatment of non-governmental organizations in Germany, on Russian soil. In recent days, a wave of persecution has invested these organizations that deal with the distribution of rights and that are seen by the Russian government as protagonists of shares of interference; formal charges are spying and this led to a vexatious action that resulted in firm police interrogation and extended to most of the staff of these organizations. These practices have increased since the conditions imposed in Cyprus for the rescue of the financial crisis in which the island has sunk. The measures that have hit the country of Cyprus, the real tax haven used by Russian tycoons have just hit a large extent on the rich deposits of the citizens of Russia, which led to a wave of discomfort for the leaders of the Moscow government, which identified in Germany, the main culprit of the measures taken by the Cypriot Government in exchange for the measures adopted by the EU's Aid to the country. The irritation of Moscow, however, went further activity against non-governmental organizations in Germany. The more concrete threat that Putin has reserved to Germany is on the economic front, the two countries have an interchange that comes to 80,000 million euro, Russia is, for German companies an important market, which in 2012 made it possible to increase exports of 10.4% to 38 billion euro, while for Germany the purchase of Russian gas is strategic for its industrial fabric. These are conditions that put Moscow in favorable conditions, and allow the Russian government to reject the sender the German charges, even though they are right. The situation therefore remains stalled and the recent meetings only served to reiterate the respective positions.