Scandal in Berlin! The German MP had a secret meeting with Vladimir Putin's familiar ᐉ News from Facti.bg – World

German MPs are calling for an explanation of a high -ranking member of the Germany Social Democratic Party (SPD) in a parliamentary committee in which the intelligence agency was examined after it turned out that he had had secret discussions with the Russian President's confidants, Reuters reported BTA.

Ralf Stegner, a member of the Bundestag's parliamentary supervisory committee, is one of the politicians of the SPD and the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), who took part in a meeting in Baku in April. Among those with whom they met on April 13 in the Azerbaijani capital were the former Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, head of the Gazprom supervisory authority, and Valery Fadeev, chairman of the EU sanctioned Russian Human Rights Council.

The participants on both sides are former members of the “Petersburg dialogue”, a forum founded by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the then Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. The forum was officially dissolved in 2021 after the Russia had driven up against several civil society organizations.

Four German participants – Stegner, Ronald Pofalla, who previously headed the former Chancellor Angela Merkel's Office and two former regional ministers – confirmed in a statement to Reuters that they had been at the “private” event in Baku.

“Even in difficult times increasing tensions, a fundamental principle of good foreign policy is,” they wrote, adding that the “confidential” meeting was not secret and none of them were officially entitled to participate or pay their participation.

The meeting, which was first reported by the newspaper ADR and time about the newspaper, took place at a time when the relationships of Russia to the EU were frozen because of its invasion of Ukraine. The meeting raised questions about the obvious willingness of some politicians to seek relprochement to Russia, even if the Moscow waged war against a German ally.

In the case of Stegner, critics have also expressed security concerns. Members of the parliamentary supervisory committee have privileged, confidential access to the work of Germany's foreign and domestic security services that are strongly involved in the collection of secret services related to Russia and the war.

“This is an unacceptable and irritating development that must be clarified immediately,” Konstantin von Notz, chairman of the committee from the “Green”, told the magazine “Spiegel”.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a member of the CDU's committee, said Stegner had to make an explanation, and Mep Marie-Egnes Strack-Zimmermann said Stegner should not be nominated for a new term in the committee.

“People in such a key position have to be above suspicion,” she said to newspapers from the media group “Funke”. “This is not the case with him.”