Politicians and lobbyists from Germany and Russia are holding secret meetings in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Die Zeit reported. Will these meetings result in a visit to Berlin by Putin’s adviser Mikhail Shvydkoy? – the weekly asks.
Secret meetings between Germans and Russians
Die Zeit writes that “the Emirate of Abu Dhabi is an ideal place for clandestine meetings between diplomats from Germany and Russia. Citizens of both countries can reach it without difficulty. In the desert state, they are guaranteed discretion”. According to the editors, on the first weekend of November a delegation of trusted Putin associates rented rooms at the luxurious Bab al-Qasr hotel on the Persian Gulf for a secret meeting with former German politicians and lobbyists.
According to Die Zeit, this was at least the fourth such meeting between Germans and Russians. Previous meetings took place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Present in Abu Dhabi were the former head of the Chancellery (when the chancellor was Angela Merkel) Ronald Pofalla of the CDU and the president of the German-Russian Forum (Deutsch-Russisches Forum, DRF) Martin Hoffmann, as well as, likely, the former SPD chairman Matthias Platzeck.
The Russian side was represented by the chairman of Gazprom’s supervisory board Viktor Zubkov and Putin’s commissioner for human rights Valery Fadeyev. The editors noted that Fadeyev is banned from entering the EU due to war propaganda. At the last moment, Putin’s commissioner for culture Mikhail Shvydkoy cancelled his participation.
What was discussed?
According to Die Zeit, the talks among these “old acquaintances” concerned reviving the Petersburg Dialogue – a German-Russian discussion format launched in 2001 by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Putin. Merkel suspended the Petersburg Dialogue in 2021 due to tensions between Berlin and Moscow.
Die Zeit writes that during the meeting in Abu Dhabi, the German side informed the participants about Pofalla’s and Hoffmann’s planned trip to Moscow in early December. Moreover, a visit by Mikhail Shvydkoy to Germany may be possible. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has reportedly given his approval for Shvydkoy’s arrival.
Die Zeit assessed that “this would be the first visit by a representative of the Russian government since the outbreak of the war against Ukraine four years ago and a political triumph for the Kremlin”.
The newspaper noted that Shvydkoy is not on the list of individuals banned from entering Germany and has maintained close contacts with Germany for many years. During periods of détente, he was a frequent visitor. He is a fan of Thomas Mann’s work and a “friendly face of the Kremlin”. “He is interested in music and theatre, but the reason for his visit to Germany is unlikely to be a desire to watch the ballet ‘Swan Lake’ performed by the Berlin State Ballet” the editors remark ironically.