Armin-Paulus Hampel
German Foreign Policy
German Bundestag, September 25, 2019, Plenarprotokoll
19/114, pp. 13926-13927
[Armin-Paulus
Hampel is an Alternative für Deutschland Bundestag member from the western
German state of Lower Saxony and previously was a television journalist. He is
the AfD’s foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag. Jürgen Hardt is Bundestag foreign
policy spokesman for the governing CDU. Heiko Maas (SPD) is the German Foreign Minister.
]
Many thanks. Herr President. Ladies and
gentlemen. Dear guests in the German Bundestag and at screens at home.
In 2017-2018, we saw the pictures from Iran:
Young people out in the streets, an Iranian Spring appearing to be developing.
Changes in the country were possible, appearing to be obtainable, and the
political leadership itself was moved.
Today we stand before a completely new
situation. The policy in relation to Iran has not led to success. We of the AfD
are of the opinion that the nuclear agreement with Iran should not have been
recalled. We hold that to be a failure of American policy. It would have been
better: Pacta sunt servanda. Treaties
must be kept! Nevertheless – Herr Hardt, you have mentioned it – the times have
changed. When we still had influence in Washington we were able with the
Americans to insist that this treaty be re-negotiated and indeed in regards
precisely those questions which were not included in this treaty and which are
important for us. Today we stand before a heap of rubble. And not only in
regards Iranian policy. What’s more, the entire Near East is destabilized. You
know all the countries: Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen. The Western policy has
failed completely.
The question however is – why indeed we are
sitting in the German Bundestag –: What can German policy now contribute? We for
many years had a large and good influence in Iranian policy. Traditionally, our
relations have been good. Today, nothing of that remains. We Germans sit at the
side table [Katzentisch]. No one can
believe that we still have decisive influence, not with our allies, and less
than ever with the American allies. They have followed up. Herr Macron has now
made the unilateral, national decision to send a naval unit to the Straits of
Hormuz. There was no agreement with the German Foreign Minister and none with
the British during Brexit. We let slip the opportunity to insert ourselves as
acquaintances of Iran and as participants in the talks – as we could have done.
And we have not succeeded in having an influence on the Near East countries.
Herr Hardt, you are entirely right – there was
once a proposal from us, and Herr Trittin has also mentioned it in committee –:
A conference on security and cooperation in the Near East, including all those
who would contribute to setting in motion a long-term process of stabilization
similar to the Helsinki KSZE [Conference on Security and Cooperation in
Europe]. And that was not an agreement but a process which ran for many years
and contributed to the building of trust and ultimately to the stabilization of
Europe. This result we celebrate this year on the 30th anniversary of the fall
of the Berlin Wall.
German influence in this form no longer
exists. Herr Maas has actually offered no comment on the situation in the Gulf;
I have heard nothing. Most of all – we have witnessed it – Herr Macron has
assumed the leadership. As acquaintances of Iran, we are on the sidelines. Herr
Macron in Biarritz has impressively shown how policy is implemented; I have
already referred to his national unilateralism. And the visit of the Chancellor
to the UN in New York has not strengthened our position; of that, we have heard
nothing.
To the federal government: In the days of a Helmut
Kohl and a Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Germany was in fact a global player. I
myself as a journalist was then a witness when George Bush said to Helmut Kohl:
Helmut, we are partners in leadership. From those days are we long since
departed. Then, we actually were a global player. Today, we are just a global
payer. That is the difference...
I am grateful, ladies and gentlemen.
[Translated
by Todd Martin]
