Azerbaijan rejects claims of role in reported German-Russian talks
Azerbaijan has rejected suggestions it played any official role in reported private talks between former German politicians and Russian representatives in Baku, saying the meetings were organised independently.
Azerbaijan rejects involvement
Azerbaijan has denied any official involvement in reported private talks between former German politicians and Russian representatives held in Baku after German media claimed the Azerbaijani capital had once again been used as a venue for unofficial dialogue with Moscow.
Sources close to the Azerbaijani government confirmed to AnewZ that official Baku had no involvement whatsoever in the reported meetings.
According to the sources, the gatherings were "a strictly private initiative", organised entirely at the independent discretion of the participating delegations, with no role played by Azerbaijani authorities.
The comments come after German newspaper Die Zeit and broadcaster ARD's Kontraste reported that former senior German politicians had travelled to Baku for discussions with Russian figures close to the Kremlin.
German reports raise questions in Berlin
According to the German reports, the participants included former SPD chairman Matthias Platzeck, former Head of the Federal Chancellery Ronald Pofalla and former Swiss ambassador to Germany Tim Guldimann.
The Russian delegation was said to include former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Subkov, now chairman of Gazprom's supervisory board, alongside other Russian public figures.
German media claimed the meeting was part of an unofficial continuation of the former Petersburg Dialogue, a German-Russian forum that Germany discontinued following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The reports also said German security authorities view such contacts with suspicion, describing them as a possible Russian influence operation. However, no evidence has been presented publicly that the meetings were conducted on behalf of the German government or with its approval.
Berlin distances itself
Germany's Foreign Office rejected any suggestion that the reported meetings formed part of official diplomacy.
"The federal government has no plans to continue or make further use of this format," the ministry said.
The office of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz also denied any involvement, stating: "This is not an initiative of the Federal Chancellery. We cannot provide any further information."
The reports have prompted debate in Germany over whether former politicians should continue maintaining informal contacts with Russian representatives while Berlin pursues a policy of diplomatic isolation towards Moscow.
Neither the German nor Russian participants have publicly disclosed what was discussed during the reported meeting.
Azerbaijan, meanwhile, maintains that it played no official part in the gathering and rejects suggestions that the talks were organised or facilitated by the Azerbaijani state.
