A social media post featuring the Artsakh flag by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has sparked a diplomatic row between the two countries, with official Baku strong-arming the European country to issue an apology.
Ahead of arriving in Armenia for an official visit, Steinmeier posted on his personal Instagram account a photograph of the Artsakh flag, with another post that said that until recently Artsakh was predominantly populated by Armenians.
While no mention of Artsakh was made during his public remarks in Yerevan, Steinmeier also urged Baku to sign a peace treaty with Yerevan as soon as possible.
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry summoned the German Ambassador to Baku on Monday to lodge a strong protest against the German president’s post, claiming that it “violated its territorial integrity.”
Calling the move an “open political provocation,” Baku condemned the post as inconsistent with Germany’s stated support for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and as harmful to the ongoing peace process.
“The German side was urged to issue a public apology for this post,” the ministry said.
Baku also criticized the post’s focus on Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, saying it “ignored the rights of over 1 million Azerbaijanis who were forcibly displaced during the decades-long conflict.”
The post has since been deleted.
Dorte Dinger, Steinmeier’s chief of staff, sent a letter to Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor to the president of Azerbaijan.
In the letter, Dinger acknowledged that the image containing the flag was mistakenly published on President Steinmeier’s Instagram account and was promptly removed once the error was noticed.
Dinger emphasized that the post did not reflect Germany’s official position regarding Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
She described the incident as a “technical error” and expressed deep regret for any misunderstanding the post may have caused.
“I am very disappointed that such an error was made. I sincerely apologize for the wrong impression the post has created in some people in Azerbaijan,” Dinger reportedly said in her letter, according to the Turkiye Today news agency.
“Despite the incident, Germany has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening bilateral ties with Azerbaijan. Dinger noted that President Steinmeier’s upcoming visit to Azerbaijan aims to support the partnership between the two countries and contribute to ongoing peace efforts in the region,” the letter added.
Steinmeier arrived in Baku earlier Tuesday for talks with Azerbaijani leaders.
