The SPD MP Stegner is massively criticized for his trip to Russian representatives in Baku. Greens boss Brantner speaks of a “shadow diplomacy” and demands information. Stegner himself justifies the meeting.
The SPD foreign politician Ralf Stegner defended a meeting with leading political representatives in Russia in Azerbaijan. Even in difficult times, conversation contacts should “be maintained to Russia,” said Stegner in an explanation according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
The meeting in Azerbaijan in April, in which the former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Subkow is said to have participated, met with criticism from Greens, FDP and also in the SPD. About the meeting on April 14th ARD policy magazine contrasts and the weekly newspaper reports time.
CDU politicians also took part in the meeting
The topic was apparently the future of the “Petersburg dialogue”, a conversation forum that former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) had launched in 2001 together with Russia's President Vladimir Putin. The conversation forum had been dissolved against Ukraine after the Russian attack war.
In addition to Stegner, the meeting in Baku said, among other things, the former Chancellery Minister Ronald Pofalla (CDU) and former Brandenburg Prime Minister Matthias Platzeck (SPD). According to the Süddeutscher Zeitung, the now published declaration was supported by everyone involved.
Responsible should have known
“These discussions can make a contribution to promoting mutually useful knowledge and assessments of conditions, attitudes and developments that go beyond what press reports or intelligence services do,” says the Süddeutscher Zeitung in the explanation.
Such contacts are naturally confidential, “but no secret negotiations for which none of us would have a mandate and are in no way involved in the government agencies”.
Politically responsible, however, would have had knowledge of these conversation contacts, it continued. According to SZ, the then Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was also informed about the efforts of the conversation.
Greens chairman Brantner: “Shadow diplomacy”
The Greens chairman Franziska Brantner criticized the ARDCapital The meeting with clear words. “While Friedrich Merz tries to give himself as a big European and the new Foreign Minister WadePhul in Kiev asserts German solidarity and support for Ukraine, parts in the Union and SPD seem to operate their very own shadow diplomacy,” said Brantner.
The Petersburg dialogue was “with good reasons” after the Russian attack on Ukraine. “It shows that not everyone has drawn the teachings from the past,” said Brantner that not all of the teachings. “The report that a member of the security -sensitive parliamentary control committee is said to have been involved with Ralf Stegner must worry us all the more.”
Other parties are calling for Enlightenment
Brantner called for an enlightenment from the Union and the SPD. “Merz and Klingbeil make themselves unbelievable if the circumstances of this meeting should not be informed immediately. They have to stamp the newly flared Moscow Connection before leading us back into a fatal dependency on Russia.”
The chairman of the parliamentary control committee of the Bundestag demanded from Stegner that he had to explain the circumstances of the trip immediately. “This is a completely impossible and irritating process, which must now be clarified immediately,” said green MP Konstantin von Notz the mirror.
The FDP European politician Marie-Egnes Strack-Zimmermann demanded that further consequences. Stegner should not be nominated again for membership in the parliamentary control committee of the Bundestag, which is responsible for secret service control ARD policy magazine contrasts. “It is completely unacceptable that he took part in a meeting with” Kremlin personalities of an officially hired Schröder-Putin committee in Baku “.
“At least grossly negligent”
The parliamentary managing director of the Greens parliamentary group, Irene Mihalic, criticized, criticized, Stegner acted “at least grossly negligent”. The SPD politician has been sitting in the parliamentary control committee for four years and is regularly informed about their work by the German intelligence services.
“Due to its access to highly sensitive information, he is obviously of great interest to the Kremlin,” she told the Editorial Network Germany. “Someone who contributes to this through their behavior must not belong to this committee.”
“So you don't create peace”
“A wrong meeting at the wrong time in the wrong place,” wrote the former chairman of the external committee in the Bundestag, Michael Roth (SPD), in the online service bluesky. “It contradicts the politics of Germany and Europe as well as social democratic beliefs. So you do not create peace, but upgrade the Russian war drivers.”
