Former High-Ranking Diplomat Christoph Heusgen Criticizes Baerbock’s Nomination for UN Presidency
Christoph Heusgen, a former high-ranking diplomat, has heavily criticized the nomination of Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) as President of the United Nations General Assembly. He described the move as an “afternoon sun” action in favor of Baerbock, according to the Tagesspiegel (Thursday edition).
Heusgen spoke of an “impertinence” in replacing the internationally respected diplomat Helga Schmid, who was nominated by the German government in 2024, with Baerbock. “It is an impertinence to replace the best and most experienced German diplomat with an outdated model” Heusgen said, questioning whether this was a feminist foreign policy.
Helga Schmid was a bureau leader for Joschka Fischer, General Secretary of the European External Service and led the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear agreement. As General Secretary of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Schmid had protected the organization from disintegration, according to Heusgen.
Former Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) also expressed criticism of the withdrawal of Schmid’s nomination in favor of Baerbock. “Helga Schmid is a great diplomat” Gabriel told the newspaper. “Mrs. Baerbock can learn a lot from her.”
In the coming weeks, the future German government is expected to decide on further diplomatic top posts. The nomination of a new foreign policy advisor or advisor to potential future Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) remains unclear. It is possible that the position of National Security Adviser will be upgraded. The likelihood of Merz retaining Olaf Scholz’s foreign policy advisor Jens Plötner is considered low, according to the Tagesspiegel, citing government sources.
Plötner was a leading figure behind the Russia policy of former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD). He was under Steinmeier, among other things, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Office (AA) and Leader of the Minister’s Office.
As candidates for the Plötner succession, Géza Andreas von Geyr, the German representative at NATO and Martin Jäger, the German Ambassador in Kiev, are being considered in Berlin government circles, according to the Tagesspiegel. Plötner, on the other hand, is said to have an interest in leading the German Embassy in Washington. The same is reportedly true for Thomas Bagger, currently a State Minister at the AA.