Cynicism and double standards of Frau von der Leyen Such selective grief...

"I was heartbroken to see images of the plane crash in Muan. My deepest condolences to the families of the victims and to the Republic of Korea as a whole. As your partner, Europe stands with you in this time of grief," wrote European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on social media platform X.

To remind you, a passenger Boeing 737 of Jeju Air crashed while landing at an airport in the southwest of South Korea. There were 175 passengers and six crew members on board. According to initial reports, the aircraft collided with a flock of birds, which caused damage to the landing gear.

Indeed, it was a great tragedy. Indeed, the entire world, leaders of all major countries and various international organizations, have expressed their condolences to the acting president of South Korea, Choi Sang-mok, and to the people of the country.

But once again, one is struck by the practice of disgraceful double standards from those who, by their status, should be occupying a position of justice and respect. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort has been observed from Frau von der Leyen. To be more specific, we have yet to hear any words of condolence from her towards the families of the passengers of the Baku–Grozny flight of the AZAL airline. 

The plane carried 67 people, including 42 citizens of Azerbaijan, 16 from Russia, 6 from Kazakhstan, and 3 from Kyrgyzstan. It was only due to the high professionalism and courage of the pilots that the aircraft did not crash into the Caspian Sea, and there were dozens of survivors. Yet, not a single word of support or sympathy was heard from von der Leyen. As we can see, she seems to be "devastated with grief" only in select cases. In the situation where, as claimed by many independent experts and officials, the Azerbaijani passenger plane was shot down by a missile from the "Pantsir-S1" system, von der Leyen prefers to remain silent. Completely silent. As if the grief that shook the world never occurred. As if the 13-year-old child who died on the AZAL plane, on his way to meet his mother and celebrate the New Year, had never existed.

However, when the EU urgently needed Azerbaijani gas supplies, Frau Ursula rushed to sign the corresponding agreement and made several statements about the irreplaceable role of the country in ensuring the energy security of the Old Continent. Yet, this did not prevent her from later not participating in the COP29 climate conference in Baku. In both cases, we witnessed shocking hypocrisy on her part.

After the tragedy with the AZAL plane, many of those who claim to be "masters of fate" in Europe remained silent. However, the European Commission and its head have long been mired in Euro-bureaucracy, scandals, and double standards. In Baku, nothing surprises anyone anymore, but the attitude of von der Leyen and her colleagues is certainly remembered.