Germany’s Southern Сorridor to Greater Eurasia: Away from Warsaw towards Damascus

... reconstruction of Syria, including through EU initiatives, would open new opportunities to develop dialogue and cooperation between Germany and Russia. A mutually beneficial relationship between both countries is much more likely to develop through the Middle East than through Eastern Europe. Part of the German elite supports deescalation with Russia. This position is mainly motivated by German economic interests. In August 2017, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs Sigmar Gabriel pointed out that the Germans “don’t want to completely destroy … [their] business relations with Russia,...