On 10 February, Germany’s ambassador to Azerbaijan Wolfgang Manig was interviewed by the Turan news agency where he spoke on the current challenges for Azerbaijan and Germany’s involvement in the issues. 

While addressing the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh, Manig emphasised that the German government is currently involved in providing humanitarian assistance to the region, which was shown by a €2 million donation to the International Red Cross Committee (ICRC). He stressed that the allocated funds concern not only one region of Karabakh, but the entire zone where civilians have suffered.

Addressing the question of potential involvement of German companies in the restoration of the region, Manig said that Germany was in principle ready for such an idea. “We would like to see all countries of the South Caucasus to become a common zone of peace and prosperity, countries that are economically close connected with other European countries. We want not only to strengthen economic cooperation, but also the political understanding among the countries of the region. In this regard, we expect that international organisations will gain access to the Nagorno-Karabakh region. At the appropriate moment, we are ready to discuss with the government the possibility of access to the region for German companies. The German government, however, cannot force German companies to be active in the reconquered territories, but we can invite them by presenting the opportunities. In addition, participation in the restoration of the territories is possible within the framework of the European Union Eastern Partnership program, of which both Armenia and Azerbaijan are members,” he stated. 

When asked about the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, Manig stated that it was “necessary to resume the efforts of the Minsk Group again to ensure the implementation of the agreements concluded between the parties.” “Germany, as a member of the Minsk Group, still believes that the efforts of the OSCE, as the regional organisation for security in the northern hemisphere, are necessary to overcome existing differences and find ways to resolve them,” he underscored. 

Manig also addressed the issue of the reconciliation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan to overcome the conflict. He said that the parties must abandon militant and defamatory rhetoric and that both societies should urge their governments to abandon this. “In this regard, we sincerely welcome the statements of the Azerbaijani authorities that Baku is ready for economic cooperation with Yerevan and that the Armenians living in Karabakh are full citizens of Azerbaijan," Meaning stressed. 

“The main task is not to demonise the opposite side and to realise the need for communication...The mass media of the two countries play a special role in this process. It is possible that officials in both countries, influenced by local factors, use defamatory rhetoric that is not conducive to reconciliation. However, if societies want reconciliation, they must understand that this will not bring peace closer. The media of the two countries play a huge role in this process,” he added. 

The German ambassador put a special emphasis on the mass media, and highlighted it as one of the major milestones the Azerbaijani government needs to improve. “In countries like Azerbaijan, a big problem is the financial independence of the media. In addition, certain political circles are trying to control the press; there is only a very limited advertising market - big holdings can pursue their interests by controlling this market and directly interfering in the freedom of the editorial staff. In such a situation, journalists become dependent on the authorities and their activities, the development of a free press is difficult,” he said. “ 

“The OSCE and the Council of Europe support institutions that foster independent media in addressing these issues and assisting media where economic conditions restrict the development of media. Therefore, existing legal restrictions hindering such cooperation should be removed. The press and civil society organisations should be able to work also with foreign donors. The authorities should take all these problems into account and should ensure the financial independence of the media and of civil society organisations, also in Azerbaijan...It would be useful to establish discussions between the authorities and the journalistic community in order to address and eliminate existing problems and use the experience of other countries. For the German part, we are ready to share our experience and assistance. Dialogue and goodwill is required to combat fake news, manifestations of hatred and enmity,” he elaborated. 

Speaking on the current projects of the German government in Azerbaijan, Manig said that works were underway on a project aimed at increasing the involvement and responsibility of Azerbaijani journalists in covering the conflict and added that he would welcome the involvement of Armenian media in this project. 

The German ambassador also held it vital that civil society should be more involved in the Azerbaijani media landscape. “Where an independent press exists, there is no authoritarian regime. This means that the press can influence public opinion and politicians have to react on it. Since the political system is a living organism, it can change depending on the processes and on the actions of its citizens. The more restrictive, the slower it changes. This is also valid in Azerbaijan: if we compare the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan last year with those that were held previously, we can see some progress, particularly during the election campaign. The activities of the population and the actions of the authorities were different compared with earlier years. In this context, particular social media plays a huge role, regardless of the restrictions imposed by a political system,” he said. 

“The experience of many countries of the former USSR shows that these processes cannot be contained. It is in the interest of the authorities to take this dynamic into consideration and to accept that civil society can be an active partner in solving many issues: The fight against corruption, ensuring social justice and protecting human rights. The press plays an extremely important role in all these matters. If we want Azerbaijan to be removed from low ranks in the international Press Freedom Index, then the above mentioned thoughts should be considered and implemented,” Manig concluded.

It should be noted that this was Manig’s second interview with Turan where he spoke on the role of mass media in the reconciliation efforts. The first interview took place on 3 February (Caucasus Watch reported).