Merz receives Aliyev in Berlin to discuss energy and Armenian-Azerbaijani peace

Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Berlin on Tuesday for talks focused on energy, commodities trade, and the peace process with Armenia. The day was also marked by the release of several alarming reports on sexual crimes against minors and racist violence.

Before going to the chancellery, Ilham Aliyev was received in the morning by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, then welcomed by Friedrich Merz with full military honors. Discussions between the two leaders were expected to focus primarily on energy supplies and trade in raw materials, as Azerbaijan derives the bulk of its state revenue from the sale of oil and natural gas, particularly to the European Union.

The peace process between Baku and Yerevan was also on the agenda, with the German government confirming that the ongoing tensions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh and other territorial disputes would be addressed. Following the talks, the two sides were expected to sign an agreement, the details of which were not specified.

Furthermore, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt presented the Federal Criminal Police Office's (BKA) 2025 report on sexual offenses against minors on Tuesday. The figures are alarming: 17,126 cases were recorded last year, a 4,7% increase compared to 2024. In more than half of the cases, victims and suspects knew each other beforehand, and the vast majority of alleged perpetrators were men acting alone. The number of cases involving young people aged 14 and over rose from 1,191 in 2024 to 1,239 in 2025. Dobrindt described these figures as "very alarming" and called for better protection of children, "particularly in the digital sphere."

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has announced a ban on alcohol consumption in all German train stations, scheduled to take effect in mid-October. Restaurants and bars located within railway premises, as well as dining cars, will be exempt. The measure follows an incident last Friday in which a security guard fell from a moving train and was seriously injured after an altercation with an intoxicated passenger during a ticket check. DB CEO Evelyn Palla told the Bild newspaper that she wants "more order and security in stations and on trains." However, the GdP police union has expressed doubts about the measure's feasibility, citing staff shortages, and is demanding that the ban be extended to the trains themselves.

The Catholic charity Caritas presented its annual report in Freiburg, reporting €39,9 million in private donations received in 2025, a figure unchanged from the previous year. Its director, Oliver Müller, praised this "impressive solidarity" but strongly criticized Germany's recent cuts to humanitarian aid. "These reductions deprive Germany of its political influence, make the world more uncertain, and ultimately harm us," he said. Caritas is calling for an annual budget of at least €3 billion for humanitarian aid; the 2026 budget allocates only €1 billion.