The program, starting on October 20, first includes a dinner at the five-star "Four Seasons" hotel in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, and talks on German-Russian cooperation are scheduled for the next day. At least, this is what the Russian version of the program from early October looks like, bearing the official logo of the "Petersburg Dialogue", which is available to the German media "Die Zeit" and ARD.
The meeting would be explosive in political terms, as it would come into complete contradiction with the official foreign policy of the Federal Republic, aimed at the political isolation of Russia, ARD points out. The public-law media outlet clarifies that none of the non-Russian participants has confirmed their presence at the meeting – some have categorically denied it, others have not commented at all, and still others have given evasive answers.
"Petersburg Dialogue" has been officially dissolved
"Petersburg Dialogue" was created in 2001 by then-German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin with the idea of bringing civil societies in the two countries closer together, ARD recalls. And after Russia declared the organizations participating in the forum "undesirable" in 2021, the dialogue was officially terminated by the German side. After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Germany has also dissolved the structures associated with the forum.
According to the program available to German media, the meeting should include former deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party and former prime minister of the federal state of Brandenburg Matthias Platzek, former head of the Federal Chancellery Ronald Poffala from the CDU, as well as former director of the "Petersburg Dialogue" Martin Hoffman. Both Platzek and Poffala were in the leadership of the forum from 2015 until its closure, ARD recalls.
Swiss participation?
Two Swiss are also expected to participate: Tim Guldimann, former ambassador to Berlin, and Thomas Greminger, former secretary general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, today director of the Swiss-funded Center for Security Policy in Geneva. Recently, in an interview with "Neue Zürcher Zeitung" Greminger mentioned the need to establish "trusted dialogue formats" with Russia, ARD recalls.
Among the participants is also German MP Armin Laschet, former chairman of the CDU and former prime minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, but his office replied that he had other commitments on the days in question and "will not participate in any talks in Baku". It was also stated that "Mr. Laschet receives numerous invitations to conferences and events every day that he cannot attend". Ronald Pofalla, Matthias Platzek and Tim Guldimann left the questions of German journalists unanswered.
No confirmation, but no denial
Swiss Thomas Greminger writes that all existing contacts "are probably the result of private initiatives, this also applies to the aforementioned meeting". In his words, "it is not his job to confirm or deny the existence of certain private contacts or meetings". Martin Hoffmann's reaction is similar: "I ask for your understanding – in principle I do not comment on specific private contacts and I will neither confirm nor deny them". On the Russian side – according to the program – Viktor Zubkov, former Prime Minister of Russia and long-time associate of Vladimir Putin, and the Russian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Evdokimov should participate, ARD writes.
Sanctioned Russian confirms the meeting
The list of participants also includes Valery Fadeev, chairman of the Russian Presidential Council for Human Rights and Putin's advisor. He is on the EU list of persons sanctioned for –disinformation and propaganda" justifying Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine. In response to a journalistic inquiry, he said he could only talk about the meeting after it was over. Mikhail Shvydkoy, also included in the program and Putin's special representative for cultural cooperation, stated that the meeting was informal in nature, the participants appeared in their personal capacity and would not represent any institutions, including the "Petersburg Dialogue". However, doubts remain that this was not just a private meeting. Not only because some high-ranking Russians were part of the program and the forum's logo was used. German journalists also accessed information that St. Petersburg State University is looking for opportunities to hold events as part of the "Petersburg Dialogue".
A meeting in Baku took place back in April
According to documents also provided to "Die Zeit" and ARD, a confidential meeting in the same hotel in Baku took place six months ago - in April. The journalists received confirmation from Mikhail Shvydkoy, and the main topic discussed by Russian and German experts at the time was Russia's current and possible future ties. ARD notes that at the suggestion of the German side, there were two points on the agenda: "The next day" and "The time until then". Specifically, it was about building communication routes and bridges of trust, as well as - what the two sides could do in the name of maintaining the networks. It was also planned to discuss the frequency of future meetings of the "contact group".
Andrea Becker (ARD) | Bilyana Mihaylova (editor)