President Ilham Aliyev has commented on reports about a secret meeting between German and Russian representatives in Baku.

Axar.az informs, citing АPA, that President Ilham Aliyev made the remarks in response to a question about the reported meeting between German and Russian representatives in Baku during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

"We learned about such a meeting in Baku from The Times newspaper, and we had no prior knowledge of it. Naturally, taking an article published by such a reputable media outlet seriously, we conducted an investigation," he said.

The head of state said that before leaving for Berlin yesterday, he had requested information from the Azerbaijani State Border Service:

"It was confirmed that the individuals mentioned in The Times newspaper were in Azerbaijan at the same time. On July 12, two well-known figures – Mr. Pofalla, the head of Mrs. Merkel's Administration, and Mr. Platzeck – arrived in Baku on the Berlin-Baku flight and returned on July 14. At the same time, on July 12, former Russian Prime Minister Mr. Zubkov and Mr. Fadeyev, the head of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights under the President of Russia, arrived in Baku from Moscow. One left Baku on July 13, and the other on July 14. We were not informed about this by either Germany or Russia. In other words, our territory was simply used without our knowledge. I also cannot say anything specific as to whether such a meeting actually took place because we did not witness it. However, the flight statistics I have mentioned suggest that such a secret meeting was held in Baku. If this meeting leads to the end of the Russia-Ukraine war, then of course we welcome it."

President Ilham Aliyev once again stressed that, in any case, the war must be stopped immediately:

"Our goal is for the war to stop and for peace to be established in the region."