Azerbaijan has become the focus of international diplomacy. During a joint press conference with the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, the country's President Ilham Aliyev made a sensational statement. The head of the Azerbaijani state confirmed that a secret meeting of former high-ranking officials from Germany and Russia took place on his country's territory in July, dedicated to discussing ways to end the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Secret negotiations without Baku's knowledge
Ilham Aliyev was candid: the meeting took place on Azerbaijani soil, but without the knowledge or participation of official Baku. The President emphasized that his country was not notified in advance about the conduct of these consultations.
"Our territory was used to hold such a meeting without our knowledge," Aliyev stated. He noted that he could not comment on the content of the conversations, as representatives of Azerbaijan were not present. However, according to the President, data on flight schedules allows one to assert that the secret meeting in Baku indeed took place.
Participants and timing of the meeting
According to information provided during the conversation, the negotiations took place from July 12 to 14. Sources, in particular the Bloomberg agency, revealed the composition of the delegations. On the German side, the unofficial group included Ronald Pofalla, former head of Chancellor Angela Merkel's office, and Matthias Platzeck, former Prime Minister of the federal state of Brandenburg.
The Russian side, it is reported, was represented by Valery Fadeev, head of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights, as well as Viktor Zubkov, Chairman of the Board of Gazprom and former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia.
Politicians' reaction
Despite the fact that Baku remained on the sidelines of the process, Ilham Aliyev expressed readiness to support peace initiatives. "If this meeting aimed to contribute to ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, we can only welcome this," he said.
At the same time, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz distanced himself from the events. In response to journalists' questions, he stated that the German government had no connection to these negotiations. "I know nothing about such a meeting," Merz replied.
Context of the negotiations
Rumors of secret peace initiatives are emerging against the backdrop of a tense geopolitical situation. Earlier this month, the Head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Andriy Sybiga, stated that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is ready for a personal meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. According to the Ukrainian diplomat, Kyiv has real proposals for ending the war, and Turkey could become a platform for such negotiations.
