[Source/Observer Network, Liu Chenghui] The former German Foreign Minister Baerbel, who once blurted out that "Putin should make a 360-degree turn", has recently been nominated by the German government to serve as the President of the United Nations General Assembly for the 2025/2026 term.
After this news broke out, criticism quickly rose. Germany's Der Spiegel magazine expressed concern on April 19th that if Baerbel, who holds an anti-Russian and pro-Israel stance, is elected, Germany may lose support from countries in the Global South, jeopardizing Germany's seat at the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member.
Previously, Christoph Heusgen, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, harshly criticized Baerbel, calling her a "has-been," and directly accused the German government of replacing experienced diplomats with her, which he deemed "shameful."
According to convention, the President of the General Assembly is elected each June, with a term starting in September, lasting one year until the next session begins. The position is allocated among Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Western Europe and other regions. It is now the turn of Western European countries to nominate, and Germany has officially obtained the right to appoint this position.
The President of the General Assembly differs from the Secretary-General of the United Nations. The former mainly organizes and convenes various meetings and has more representative functions, while decisions made by the General Assembly are not binding but can play a role in selecting topics.
On April 15, Foreign Minister Baerbel of Germany attended the Sudan Peace Conference at Lancaster House in London. Visual China.
"Deutsche Welle" reported that in mid-March, the German government planned to nominate outgoing Foreign Minister Baerbel as the candidate for the presidency of the United Nations General Assembly for the 2025/2026 term. Relevant cabinet resolution procedures have been initiated. Baerbel will visit New York in May to introduce her work plan, and the election of the General Assembly president is just a formality due to the pre-agreed mechanism within the United Nations.
If Baerbel is elected, she will resign from her position as a member of the Federal Parliament. After the Green Party lost in the early general election, they lost the opportunity to participate in the next government, marking the temporary end of Baerbel's tenure as foreign minister.
In early March this year, Baerbel announced that she would no longer run for a senior party position for personal reasons. At that time, there were speculations that international organizations held greater appeal for her.
However, Baerbel's nomination has already sparked much dissatisfaction.
Der Spiegel magazine published an article on April 19th expressing concerns that if Baerbel becomes the president of the General Assembly, Germany may lose its seat at the UN Security Council.
"The German Federal Foreign Office has been working hard for some time to ensure that Germany serves as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for two years starting in 2027. However, now some people are worried that precisely this outgoing foreign minister is threatening these plans," Der Spiegel mentioned.
The article believes that Baerbel's anti-Russian and pro-Israeli remarks might lead to Germany losing support from countries in the Global South, whose votes will significantly influence the outcome of the vote.
An anonymous diplomat said hopefully that Baerbel wouldn't speak for Germany during her campaign in New York, and as the president of the General Assembly, she is obliged to remain neutral.
Another key point of contention is that Baerbel replaced a seasoned diplomat, Helga Schmid, who had already been nominated.
Last September, the German government once nominated Schmid as the German candidate for the next President of the General Assembly. Schmid was formerly the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and also served as the Vice-Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Foundation Council. This experienced diplomat was the office director of former Foreign Minister Fischer and the Secretary-General of the European External Action Service. Additionally, Schmid participated in the negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal.
Experienced German diplomat Helga Schmid, material photo.
In comparison, Baerbel appears relatively inexperienced.
She used to be a trampoline athlete, winning bronze medals three times in Germany's Trampoline Championships. In 2005, Baerbel joined the Green Party and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 2013, serving as the German Foreign Minister since December 8, 2021.
Baerbel has long taken a "hawkish" stance toward China and Russia, proposing to tighten Germany and Europe's trade policies with China and raise tariffs, and has repeatedly issued harsh words against Russia after the outbreak of the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Her memorable moments in recent years include the "360-degree" remark in February 2023.
At that time, she stated at the Munich Security Conference that whether peace could be achieved between Ukraine and Russia depended on whether Russian President Putin would "make a 360-degree change in his political line."
There was an uproar in public opinion. Several Russian politicians sarcastically referred to her as a "geometry master," saying, "If you can't even do well in middle school courses, how can you guarantee Germany's long-term security?"
Regarding the replacement of such a politician by the German government for Schmid, former German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel did not directly criticize Baerbel's nomination as the President of the General Assembly, but he gave this evaluation to the Daily Mirror: Schmid, who was originally nominated, is a "great diplomat," and "Baerbel can learn a lot from her."
Christoph Heusgen, former chairman of the Munich Security Conference, said that it was "shameless" for the German government to withdraw the nomination of the top diplomat Schmid and instead support Baerbel. This was replacing Germany's most outstanding and internationally experienced diplomat with an "expired" figure.
He further questioned, "Is this what they call feminist diplomacy?"
Johnannes Volkmann, grandson of former German Chancellor Kohl and 27-year-old, posted on X platform: "This way of replacing a distinguished senior diplomat like Schmid with Baerbel is shocking."
Russian authorities also paid attention to Baerbel's nomination, especially her identity as the "Nazi granddaughter."
"Deutsche Welle" reported that Baerbel's grandfather was an officer in the Nazi army and fought on the eastern front during World War II. It is claimed that Baerbel's family did not know the details of this military experience for many years until the 1990s when Baerbel's grandfather first openly discussed his past. Last year, German media Bunte reported after checking Nazi army documents that Baerbel's grandfather was a "fanatical supporter of Nazism." These documents clearly show that Baerbel's grandfather, who passed away in 2016, was a "100% Nazi" who read Hitler's Mein Kampf and aligned himself with Nazi positions. As for Baerbel herself, she does not shy away from her grandfather's Nazi history and has mentioned this matter on multiple occasions.
Moscow News Agency spokesperson Zakharova said to RIA Novosti: "It would be strange to see a granddaughter of a Nazi become the President of the General Assembly 80 years after the victory of World War II, and she takes pride in her grandfather's 'heroic deeds.'"
This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7495609880598872610/
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