A blank shot from Frau Baerbock Missing the point at COP29

It came as no surprise when Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, in her inaugural speech at the 29th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) being held in Azerbaijan, delivered sharp criticism of the host country. She notably expressed concern that the "human rights situation in Azerbaijan is alarming."

This example illustrates how Germany's Foreign Minister deliberately shifted the focus away from the global issue of climate change—currently being discussed by everyone in Baku—and instead highlighted matters that are strictly Azerbaijan's internal affairs. It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, has never raised the issue of the human rights situation in Germany. Were such a task to be undertaken, numerous examples could be found where Germany's record on this issue is far from perfect. One cannot help but recall that after World War II, the Western allies instilled the ideas of democracy, freedom of speech, and the separation of powers in Germany. Until the 1960s, few were concerned with the dominance of former Nazi officials in positions of power, from the intelligence services to the Foreign Ministry. They were sheltered by the figure of Christian Democrat Konrad Adenauer and the tacit approval of the Americans.

Here is a small detail about Frau Baerbock's background. Her paternal grandfather, Waldemar Baerbock (1913–2016), according to declassified archives from 2024, was a Wehrmacht officer during World War II, a committed National Socialist, and served as an engineer in an anti-aircraft gun repair unit. In 1944, he was awarded the Iron Cross "For Military Merit with Swords"...

But that’s not all. Germany is currently experiencing a full-blown domestic political crisis, with the ruling coalition led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsing, and snap elections to the Bundestag are scheduled. And do you know who ranks second in recent public opinion polls in Germany? It is the far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD). Right-wing populism refers to a political strategy that adheres to authoritarian views and also uses and reinforces widespread racist prejudices.

In fact, what is there to discuss when the leader of this party in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, was legally permitted to be called a "fascist"? This occurred in 2019 when a court in the German town of Meiningen ruled that the head of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Thuringia, Björn Höcke, could be referred to as a "fascist." Such figures and parties not only exist in Germany but also enjoy considerable popularity there.

In Azerbaijan, however, such parties and politicians do not, and cannot, exist. This serves as yet another argument against Frau Baerbock’s misguided attempts to impose her views on a foreign country. Unfortunately, this attempt was made. What is particularly noteworthy is that, before arriving in Baku, the German Foreign Minister first visited Yerevan, where she met with Armenia's Foreign Minister. This choice of route is not a one-off. Just last year, before her visit to Baku, she travelled to Yerevan, where she made a provocative statement. Baerbock then remarked that the Armenian people were facing numerous challenges: "The images of the situation we saw are still fresh in our minds-the flow of people through the Lachin corridor into Armenia, families leaving their homeland for security reasons. It was a great challenge for the Armenian Government to accept so many people from Nagorno-Karabakh."

Frau Baerbock made no mention that the problems facing the Armenian people are the direct result of their own choice to pursue territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Nor did she acknowledge that the Armenians living illegally on Azerbaijani land were not threatened. They were offered the opportunity to integrate into Azerbaijani society and recognize its laws, but they refused. Yet, at that time, Baerbock chose to praise the leadership of the country that pursued an occupation policy.

Baerbock has also refrained from condemning the leadership of Armenia, which, not by its own will, is now compelled to recognize Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. It was Armenia's Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, who played a significant role in instigating the 44-day war. During this conflict, under his orders, missile strikes were carried out on Azerbaijani cities, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians.

Yet, Frau Baerbock has not condemned these monstrous crimes. This fact alone is enough to understand how inappropriate her attempt to use COP29 as a platform for interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs is.

There is also another important point. Her previous visit to Baku ended in scandal. Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, was forced to address his German counterpart.

"The Minister stated that Germany supports Azerbaijan's sovereignty, but when referring to the cities of Shusha and Khankendi, she inexplicably used names coined by separatists in Azerbaijani territories," he rightly pointed out at the time.

However, that was not all. When responding to a question from a Real TV correspondent about whether Baerbock had met with Azerbaijani internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees during her visit to Azerbaijan, the German Minister first provided a detailed account of her meeting with Armenians who had fled from Karabakh to Armenia. But after Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister reminded her of the essence of the question, she claimed that she had met with individuals who had moved to Azerbaijan from Armenia. In reality, the German Foreign Minister had met with representatives of civil society. When offered the opportunity to meet with refugees and internally displaced persons, however, she declined. Given her previous antics, it comes as no surprise that her current visit to Baku also ended in scandal.

Nevertheless, this incident had little impact. COP29 was remembered for its excellent organization and the visits of leaders from dozens of countries, including major European nations. Not one of them strayed from the agenda of COP29, which focused on the global issue that threatens all of humanity. Azerbaijan’s role in addressing this challenge cannot be overstated.