in an apparent riposte to Westerwelle branding him "Europe's last dictator," said: "Better to be a dictator than gay." Westerwelle subsequently responded: "This statement condemns itself. I won't budge one millimeter from my commitment to human rights and democracy in Belarus after these comments." Relations with Russia While being foreign minister, Westerwelle maintained a fairly low profile when it came to Germany's Russia-policy. He supported the policy of "change through trade" with Russia, but was widely criticized for not having a clear foreign policy doctrine. He called for more inclusion of Russia in the international community, but criticized Moscow, for example, for supporting President Assad's government in Syria. Views on WWII and its aftermath Upon taking office, Westerwelle opposed the appointment of Erika Steinbach, a German politician and member of Chancellor Merkel's party, to a board overseeing the creation of the Center against Expulsions, a place documenting the expulsion of Germans from Eastern Europe after World War II. In November 2010, together with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, he opened the Nuremberg Trials Memorial permanent exhibition in the Palace of Justice building in Nuremberg. Under Westerwelle's leadership, the Foreign Office released a report in 2011 called "The Ministry and the Past", which alleged the ministry's collusion with the Nazis. Westerwelle said the report "shamed" the institution. In February 2012, he signed an agreement granting 10 million euros (13 million dollars) to Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Center over the following 10 years. Following the controversial 2012 Munich artworks discovery, he called for greater transparency in dealing with the find, which he warned could have lasting damage to Germany's international friendships. Political positions On economic policy Westerwelle was a staunch supporter of the free market and proposed reforms to curtail the German welfare state and deregulate German labor-law. In an interview in February 2003, Westerwelle described labor unions as a "plague on our country" and said union officials were "the pall bearers of the welfare state and of the prosperity in our country". He called for substantial tax cuts and smaller government, in line with the general direction of his party. On sexual equality Westerwelle was a staunch campaigner for sexual equality. He long criticized German law's not giving complete adoption rights to gay couples. In 2012, he and finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble were at loggerheads after a high-court ruling demanded the government provide equal tax treatment to gay civil servants