EU recognizes unique role of Azerbaijan

While some European parliaments are voting against Azerbaijan, the relations between Baku and the European Union are opening a qualitatively new chapter. And this happens at such a level that any attempts to strike at the relations of the parties obviously turn into nothing.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen paid a visit to Baku on the first day of July. This politician has always advocated expanding contacts with Azerbaijan, for which she has repeatedly been fiercely criticized in the lobbying circles of the European Union. Despite the pressure, her line won, and after another meeting with President Ilham Aliyev and the statements made in Baku, we can safely say that EU-Azerbaijan relations will never be the same again. They have moved to a new level, when the Baku-Brussels axis becomes an axis on which not only bilateral interests will be strung. The political, transport, and energy interests of the South Caucasus, Europe, and Central Asia will be here. And if we look at the issue even more broadly, the fate of regional transport connectivity and energy security between East and West will depend on the interaction between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

It became clear that relations that had cooled due to the efforts of certain EU circles were awaiting a reset when it was announced last April that the European Union and Azerbaijan had agreed to resume negotiations on a new partnership and cooperation agreement. It was an initiative of the European side. During her first visit to Baku and meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, the new EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaia Callas, made it clear that she had come not only for gas and corridors, but also for straightening relations that had suffered greatly during the Josep Borrell era. The former head of European diplomacy chose the wrong and ineffective line of conversation with Baku and damaged the image of the EU in the eyes of Azerbaijani society. Attempts of pressure and blatant application of double standards by European officials and some leading EU countries have created a negative aura that has not contributed to the development of ties.

In a press statement after meeting with Ms. von der Leyen on Wednesday, Ilham Aliyev said that relations between the European Commission and Azerbaijan are currently in a very active phase.

President of the European Council Antonio Costa was received in Baku in March, and Kai Callas paid another visit in May. The current visit of the head of the European Commission, which is not the first, closes this ring. All EU leaders voted for the development of relations with Azerbaijan and recognized its strategic importance for Europe. With one small exception, there is also the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Matsola, who stands out from this row. But no one listens to the decisions of the EP.

Any decisions taken against Azerbaijan are shattered by the importance that our country has already established. There are too many ties between Azerbaijan and the European Union, and this interest is reciprocated. 

"The European Union is Azerbaijan's main trading partner. More than 40 percent of our trade turnover is accounted for by the EU member states, and Azerbaijan is the main trading partner in the South Caucasus for the European Union. Almost 70 percent of trade in the South Caucasus is accounted for by trade with Azerbaijan," President Ilham Aliyev said in his speech after meeting with von der Leyen.

The Head of State recalled the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the energy sector, signed in July 2022. Having found itself in a difficult situation in terms of energy security after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, the European Union found an alternative in Baku. And an alternative that is very reliable, independent, proactive and stable. Over the past four years, Azerbaijani gas exports to the European Union have increased by almost 65 percent. This is a very good indicator, proving that the European Union made the right choice in 2022. Currently, 10 EU member states receive Caspian gas, and, as the Azerbaijani leader noted, there is potential for expanding this geography. Azerbaijani gas goes to European partners through a pipeline system with a total length of 3,500 kilometers.

Another item on the bilateral agenda was green energy and Baku's initiative, which transformed the Black Sea Energy (Black Sea Energy Corridor) project from an interregional to a continental one through integration with the Trans-Caspian Energy Corridor. Baku always thinks broadly, and any initiative within the republic focuses on the prospect of reaching out to its neighbors and neighbors. As President Ilham Aliyev once said, the success of Azerbaijan's projects is determined by the fact that it has good relations with its neighbors and with the neighbors of its neighbors. This is a very correct formula, which today works for the interests of the energy and transport corridors in which Azerbaijan participates. And no one today will deny his special role in this space.

This role was once again confirmed by Ursula von der Leyen during her current visit. One could see how inspired the European official was by the results of the negotiations with the President of Azerbaijan. According to her, as part of the existing Global Gateway investment program, the EU will allocate up to 200 million euros in grants for the development of transport, energy and digital communications in the South Caucasus. Among the projects may be, for example, a railway connection through Nakhchivan and the development of the Baku port.

It should be recalled that the issue of European investments in the railway modernization project of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was raised at the meeting of the President of Azerbaijan with the European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos on the sidelines of the Davos Forum. Later, at a meeting between the Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev and the Director General of the European Commission's Directorate General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighborhood, Gert Jan Koopman, the preparation of a feasibility study for the project was discussed.

The EU's decision to participate in the reconstruction of the Nakhchivan railway network can be viewed in the logic of the EU's accession, so far in absentia, to the Azerbaijani initiative of the Zangezur Corridor. The EU does not want to stand aside.

The South Caucasus is one of the world's greatest transport hubs connecting Europe, the Caspian region and Central Asia, von der Leyen said. Its strategic importance continues to grow, and Azerbaijan has a central role to play in this process. "Few countries have a position as advantageous as yours to promote regional cooperation and stability. Azerbaijan skillfully combines its strategic geographical position with its growing economic, political and regional influence," the head of the European Commission acknowledged.

Indeed, Azerbaijan has a very advantageous geographical location. Meanwhile, not only our country is well located on the map. But few people know how to use this factor so productively to benefit themselves and their partners. That is why the EU intends to hold a Regional Conference on Investments in Transport Connectivity here. And where else? This is where Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia connect. Azerbaijan is the central link of the vast majority of transport and logistics routes on this continent. Especially in the current geopolitical situation, which has completely redrawn the scheme of traditional routes.

On Thursday, the EC President arrived in Yerevan. In Baku, she called the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia the most important event in the region in recent decades. She stated that the European Union strongly supports this process. And not only in words, but also financially. After meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, she announced a new peace consolidation program with a budget of 20 million euros. According to the European official, these funds will be used for programs in the border regions. It should be understood that we are talking about the border regions not only of Armenia. Previously, the EU had allocated funds only to the needs of the Armenian side.  Now, the European Union intends to adjust its steps towards a balanced approach. This is commendable and right. Especially against the background of the unilateral steps that Baku has taken to make its neighbor feel all the advantages of peaceful coexistence. Today, there is a unique situation that opens up great opportunities for the region. The European Union can successfully fit into this scenario. Not unilaterally anymore. Not as some kind of observation mission with dubious goals. And as a partner who is really interested in peace and development.

It should be noted that the EU's agenda with Armenia is fundamentally different from that implemented by the European Union with Azerbaijan. Baku and Brussels are almost equal partners, connected primarily by economic interests and promising projects. Baku does not ask for anything from Europe and does not seek to join the EU. Armenia is in dire need of support, primarily political support. However, economic assistance in connection with Russia's refusal from Armenian imports is now on the agenda. Yerevan has set the goal of integration into the EU and expects to break away from the traditional Russian influence with the assistance of the Europeans. The situation in connection with these processes is quite tense, and now the task of the European Union is to assert its rights to Armenia, but in such a way as to prevent a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario.

And even in this work, the EU cannot do without cooperation with Baku.