Baku's Silent Summit: SPD & CDU Politicians Face Backlash After Hush-Hush Meeting with Putin's Pals
SPD and CDU politicians confer with Putin's trusted allies
Stirring the Pot in BerlinIn the aftermath of a clandestine rendezvous in Baku, Germany's political sphere is seething. The cat's out of the bag, and SPDesers and CDUnesters are squirming in their seats over their secretive meeting with bigwigs from the Kremlin.
According to an exposé by ARD's “Kontraste” and “Die Zeit” weekly newspaper, a shady German delegation paid a visit to Azerbaijan in mid-April, allegedly hobnobbing with Russian representatives. The who's who of this German gang included SPD MP Ralf Stegner, former Federal Chancellery chief Ronald Pofalla (CDU), former Brandenburg SPD Minister President Matthias Platzeck, former CDU Europe Minister in NRW Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner, and long-time CEO of the "Petersburg Dialog," Martin Hoffmann. On the Russian side, the players included some high-profile notables like former Russian Prime Minister and current Gazprom Supervisory Board Chairman Viktor Zubkov and Chairman of the Russian Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeyev, who's on the EU sanctions list for peddling war propaganda and disinformation.
Politics: The Russia-Ukraine War Saga and Merz's Presidential BidSince April 2024, there have been at least three such tit-for-tats behind closed doors, with whispers of reviving the contentious "Petersburg Dialog." Born in 2001 from the loins of then-Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and the ominous Putin, the "Petersburg Dialog" was supposedly put to rest in 2022 following Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine.
"Spies Like Us"? Demands for Answers
The Baku confab has set Berlin's political scene ablaze, with Stegner catching flak for his role as a ringmaster in the parliamentary control committee for intelligence services in the last Bundestag. CDU member Roderich Kiesewetter is barking for answers from Stegner. "It's just bloody ridiculous that we spend so much time dishing out details about our security policy and intelligence services, and then we're casually whisked away for whispers with Russian puppet-masters," Kiesewetter spat to "Kontraste" and “Die Zeit.” "Did he sneak off with a secret phone, or did he shrug off our intelligence services' concerns with a shrug?"
Politics: Russian Media's Take on the Merz PresidencySWP Russia expert Sabine Fischer suggests that the Baku bash paves the way for the Russians to carve out influence channels in German politics, eroding the already delicate hardline sanctions policy against Russia.
In an attempt to wriggle out of the mess, Stegner, Pofalla, Platzeck, and Holthoff-Pförtner issued a joint statement, explaining their Baku boondoggle as part of good international diplomacy, even during escalating international tensions, conflicts, and wars. They insisted that such clandestine chats are private for the record, none of which constitutes top-secret negotiations that they don't have the mandate or involvement from government agencies.
Behind Closed DoorsHowever, it seems that politically-savvy parties have been apprised of these hush-hush huddles, but nothing was concocted, cooked or served up by government representatives. Insiders allege that the then Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz was looped in on the conversation strategy.
- Lobbyists and politicians from the SPD and CDU parties are under fire following a secretive meeting with Russian representatives in Baku, as reported by ARD's "Kontraste" and "Die Zeit".
- The clandestine meetings, which occurred at least three times since April 2024, have raised concerns about the potential revival of the controversial "Petersburg Dialog" and its impact on Germany's policy towards Russia and Ukraine.
- CDU member Roderich Kiesewetter has criticized SPD MP Ralf Stegner for his involvement in the meetings, particularly given his role on the parliamentary control committee for intelligence services.
- Russian media have suggested that the Baku summit could open new channels of influence for Russia in German politics, potentially weakening the hardline sanctions policy against Russia.
- Despite denying any top-secret negotiations, the involved parties, including Stegner, Pofalla, Platzeck, and Holthoff-Pförtner, have suggested that their meetings were part of international diplomacy, even during times of escalating conflicts and wars.
