In view of the upcoming elections in Germany this year, some forces are interested in using the ‘Azerbaijani theme’ against their opponents, Russian political analyst, a leading analyst of the Russian Agency for Political and Economic Communications Mikhail Neyzhmakov told the Russian bureau of Report.
“Negative publications about Azerbaijan in the German press may be associated with the fact that parliamentary elections will be held in Germany this year, and Angela Merkel intends to leave her post. In the context of the upcoming elections, a number of players in Germany will have internal political reasons to use the ‘Azerbaijani theme’ against their opponents. For such information attacks to be more effective, it is logical for such players to focus on the negative image of Azerbaijan,” the expert said.
The Russian expert also believes that the attitude of a number of European politicians towards Azerbaijan can be influenced by their position on Turkey, as well as the Turkish communities in the EU countries themselves: “After all, external players remember that Baku and Ankara are close partners.”
However, the analyst noted the likelihood of future prospects in improving relations.
“Despite criticism from the same German Foreign Ministry regarding Turkey, Berlin is clearly not in the mood to ‘slam the door’ in relations with Ankara. Angela Merkel declared Turkey's strategic importance. Probably, in the event of a certain ‘thaw’ in relations between Turkey and Germany in the future, relations between Berlin and Baku will also have additional prospects,” he added.