German TV channel ARD airs a Russian-made hit piece against Azerbaijan

Another anti-Azerbaijani provocation has been launched in Germany. The German TV channel ARD alpha has announced that on June 23 it will air a program titled “Corruption — for Oil and Gas from Azerbaijan,” which, according to the announcement, is devoted to corruption issues connected with energy supplies from the republic. Already at the announcement stage, it states: “The EU imports oil and gas from Azerbaijan and wants to receive even more raw materials from there. But the country is ruled by a harsh regime, and criticism is suppressed. Despite this, EU politicians are flirting with the regime. Why? — Election observer Frank Schwabe investigates.”

Here, of course, following the example of a literary character, one is tempted to exclaim: “Well, well! All the familiar faces!” — although diplomatic protocol, even at the level of the press, still forces one to refrain from using words such as “mugs” or “snouts.” ARD regularly fires off various “investigations” based on unreliable rumors, or even outright fakes, in which it tries to accuse Azerbaijan of every mortal sin. They have even produced feature films on this subject. About two years ago, ARD already tried to accuse Azerbaijan of corruption — allegedly, Baku was bribing European deputies. True, no evidence was found; everything was limited to gossip and speculation. In short, they tried to make an elephant out of nothing, without even having a fly to begin with.

It is therefore all the more remarkable that this time Frank Schwabe has been invited as the expert and author of yet another fake “investigation.” This character first “made a name for himself” as an election observer in Azerbaijan, where he put the production of fakes about “human rights violations” and so on on an assembly line. He was also one of the initiators of the move not to recognize the credentials of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE in response to Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operations in September 2023 and the full restoration of our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Two years ago, in 2024, Schwabe, already in his capacity as head of the German delegation to PACE, threw a tantrum: “Azerbaijan’s decision to deny access to the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture is yet another serious violation of the clearly defined rules of the Council of Europe. Azerbaijan not only arbitrarily imprisons people, but also fails to treat political prisoners in accordance with CoE standards.”

Naturally, he “forgot” to mention that earlier it was the CPT itself that had grossly violated the rules of diplomatic ethics. As Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry explained at the time, the committee had taken the unprecedented decision to publish in full the report on the results of its special visit in 2022 without Azerbaijan’s corresponding consent and without comments from the Azerbaijani authorities. Yet the rules of any investigation require that both sides be heard.

Moreover, Schwabe staged his scandal precisely at the time when the lawyers of the notorious Ruben Vardanyan began shouting that this oligarch-provocateur was allegedly being subjected to monstrous torture in “Azerbaijani captivity”: he did not have enough toilet paper, and the well-fed oligarch was not allowed to change his underwear as often as he wished.

The most zealous “defenders of human rights in Azerbaijan” sooner or later — and more often sooner than later — slide into lobbying the interests of Armenia’s aggressive circles.

And finally, the most important point. If we are going to talk about corruption, then let us call things by their proper names: the ARD program that has been announced is based on Russian talking points and fits entirely within Russian interests.

Azerbaijan entered the European gas market relatively recently, but today our country plays a major role in Europe’s energy security. This is especially important against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine and the sanctions imposed on Russia. First, Moscow is losing real money. Second, it is losing its market positions. Its monopoly has been undermined. And it can no longer use hydrocarbon supplies as a means of pressure.

This dictates a clear strategy: to compromise cooperation with Azerbaijan in this sphere as much as possible. Let us emphasize: Azerbaijan has never set itself the goal of playing against anyone on the European energy market. Our country simply conducts business and strengthens its own ties with the states of the European Union. But the fact that Azerbaijan plays honestly and openly does not mean that others behave just as honestly and openly.

And in Germany, let us recall once again, before the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine, Gazprom created an impressive lobby based simply on money. The example of Gerhard Schröder is indicative, but it is not the only one. And it is no coincidence that German Social Democrats have turned out to be the most active participants in anti-Azerbaijani campaigns.

And when such figures begin to lecture others about corruption, it already resembles a lecture on chastity delivered by workers from a red-light establishment.

Nurani

Minval Politika