Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev announced on Tuesday that a covert meeting occurred in Baku between Russian and German representatives in mid-July, aimed at discussing the conclusion of the war in Ukraine. Aliyev made this statement during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, as reported by Interfax and Bloomberg.
He revealed that the German delegates arrived in Baku on July 12 via a flight from Berlin and stayed in Azerbaijan until July 14. Among the visitors were former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov and Valery Fadeyev, an advisor to President Vladimir Putin, who also landed in Baku on July 12 from Moscow.
Aliyev noted that one of the Russian representatives departed Azerbaijan on July 13 and the other on July 14, without disclosing the names of the German officials involved.
His comments came just two days after The Times reported that an unofficial German delegation, which included Ronald Pofalla, former head of Angela Merkel’s chancellery, and Matthias Platzeck, a former Prime Minister of Brandenburg, had met in Azerbaijan’s capital with several close associates of President Putin.
Azerbaijan Not Informed of German-Russian Discussions
Aliyev expressed frustration over not being informed about the discussions, stating, “We received no information regarding the meeting from either Russia or Germany. Our territory was used for this meeting without any notice to us. I cannot speak about the contents of the meeting, as I was not present. However, the flight data allows me to conclude that a secret meeting took place in Baku.”
He further emphasized that if such dialogues could aid in ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Azerbaijan would welcome them. “Our goal is to end this conflict as soon as possible and restore peace in the region,” added the president.
Chancellor Merz firmly denied any government involvement, stating, “I am not aware of such a meeting,” in response to the revelations.
During an official visit to Germany, Aliyev met with Chancellor Merz, President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and other officials to discuss energy issues and strengthen bilateral relations. In discussions with Steinmeier, Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s role in Europe’s energy security, noting that his country currently exports natural gas to Germany and Austria.
Earlier in the day, Aliyev and Merz signed a declaration regarding their strategic and bilateral partnership.
