Putin must be smiling: Merkel's chief foreign policy expert was celebrating with him at the recent St. Petersburg mega party

The fact that - in addition to former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder - Angela Merkel's chief foreign policy expert Philipp Missfelder also attended the much criticised party with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg speaks volumes about Germany's cosy co-operation with Putin's mafia state. Merkel is now faking "furiousness", but in reality she and her government believe that German business interests are more important than Putin's aggression against an independent country:

Angela Merkel "furious" after reports that her foreign policy expert attended Gerhard Schroeder's birthday party with Vladimir Putin

German media reports said Philipp Missfelder, the chief foreign policy expert for Mrs Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Party was also a guest at the controversial party held by a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant, Gazprom. --

Der Spiegel Online remarked that Mr Schroeder and Mr Putin were seen falling into each others' arms and embracing demonstratively, "in the middle of the most serious political crisis between East and West since the Cold War".
German MPs said Mr Schroeder's behaviour was "completely irresponsible". But subsequent reports that Mr Missfelder had also attended the party apparently caused " massive annoyance" not to say embarrassment within Christian Democrat Party ranks yesterday.
"Chancellor Angel Merkel is angry because she was not informed about the visit," Der Spiegel Online wrote.
Mr Missfelder, is known to be an ardent supporter of German business interests in Russia and has sympathised with the Kremlin's standpoint on Ukraine.

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