German Chancellor Friedrich Merz faced an unexpected claim during a joint press conference with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Berlin. It was raised that a secret Germany-Russia meeting was held in Baku without the knowledge of the Azerbaijani government.
Merz clearly stated at the press conference that he had no knowledge of such a secret meeting. However, President Aliyev, immediately after Merz's statement, took the floor and claimed the opposite.
Aliyev stated that there are flight records showing that when German officials came to Baku, Russian officials also arrived in the city. Based on these records, he said they confirmed that a secret meeting between Germany and Russia was held on Azerbaijani territory without their permission.
Before Aliyev's remarks, German Chancellor Merz had stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin did not come to the table for talks and that they therefore continued their support for Ukraine.
The Azerbaijani leader expressed his discomfort over his country's territory being used in this way without notice, pointing to a diplomatic violation.