Azerbaijan Confirms Secret German-Russian Talks in Baku as Merz Denies Knowledge

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev publicly confirmed that former senior German and Russian officials held a clandestine backchannel meeting in Baku, contradicting German Chancellor Friedrich Merz moments after the German leader denied knowledge of the gathering.

Speaking during a joint press conference in Berlin, Merz dismissed reports of informal talks between former high-ranking politicians, stating flatly, "I know nothing of such a meeting."

Aliyev countered the chancellor's denial by detailing flight manifests verified by Azerbaijan's State Border Service following European media investigations into the talks.

Verification of Flight Manifests

According to Aliyev, former German Chancellery chief Ronald Pofalla and former Social Democrat politician Matthias Platzeck arrived in Baku from Berlin on July 12 and returned on July 14.

Parallel flight records confirmed the arrival of former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, now chairman of Gazprom, alongside Valery Fadeyev, head of Russia's Presidential Council for Civil Society.

"Our territory was simply utilized without our knowledge," Aliyev said, noting that neither Berlin nor Moscow informed Azerbaijani authorities prior to the gathering.

Backchannel Diplomacy and Security Concerns

German security agencies consider the meetings part of a Russian influence operation intended to erode Western consensus and pressure Berlin into accepting Moscow's terms on Ukraine.

While the German participants hold no formal government posts, their deep ties to the ruling CDU and SPD parties provide Moscow an unmonitored channel into German political circles.

Although Baku was kept in the dark, Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan would not oppose informal dialogue if it yielded results, stating, "If this meeting serves to end the Ukrainian–Russian war, we, of course, welcome it."