Bundestag representative Moosdorf from the AfD party has been bestowed an honorary academic position in Russia.
AfD parliamentary group's new foreign policy spokesman, Matthias Moosdorf, recently received an honorary professorship in Russia. He took up this position at the Moscow Gnessin Academy of Music to convey a message of "understanding," as stated in a report released by news portal t-online on Wednesday. The 59-year-old politician, who is also a trained cellist, combines this new role with his Bundestag mandate. Moosdorf's appointment has drawn criticism from Green Party MP Konstantin von Notz.
On the academy's website, Moosdorf's employment is listed, and the appointment certificate issued by the Russian Ministry of Culture on August 27 can be accessed. The certificate credits Moosdorf's "significant contribution" to music and the "intellectual advancement of contemporary society" as the motivation behind his appointment. The precise salary for the position remains unclear, with Moosdorf stating to t-online that the details are yet to be finalized and will be based on standard international honorariums. He plans to instruct chamber music ensembles in Moscow for several days each quarter.
"Music transcends ideological boundaries," Moosdorf noted. In September, he spent three days in Moscow and delivered an "introductory lecture" at the Gnessin Academy, which is renowned in classical music circles for nurturing talent. Despite the academy's controversial headlines related to war propaganda in spring 2022, Moosdorf does not perceive any political alignment. "I cannot detect any political affiliation of the Gnessin Academy, and I'm not interested," he told t-online. "My commitments are exclusively focused on music as a universal language of harmony and understanding."
Moosdorf serves as the foreign policy spokesperson for his faction and heads the working group on foreign affairs within the AfD, advocating pro-Russian positions. This year, he succeeded Petr Bystron, currently under investigation for alleged money laundering and corruption, in these positions.
Green Party deputy faction leader and head of the Parliamentary Control Committee, von Notz, expressed his disapproval of Moosdorf's part-time job in Russia. "It becomes increasingly apparent how close the ties are between Moscow and the AfD," von Notz told t-online. "Only the AfD can explain how someone can sincerely pursue politics as a foreign policy spokesperson while financially supporting themselves through honorary professorships in authoritarian regimes."
Moosdorf's honorary professorship at the Moscow Gnessin Academy of Music is listed on the academy's website. During his visit to the academy in September, Moosdorf delivered an "introductory lecture" emphasizing that music transcends ideological boundaries.
