Russian FM and EU Commissioner visit Azerbaijan To Develop Ties

Between the 14^th and the 18^th of June, both the Commissioner of the European Union, José Manuel Barroso, and the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavorv, partook in separate official visits to the Caucasus Republic of Azerbaijan to develop bilateral ties. The EU Commissioner succeeded in signing a Cooperation Agreement with the Republic, signaling further cooperation between Europe and Azerbaijan. Parallel, Lavrov stressed Azerbaijan’s importance to Moscow as a key partner in the region in maintaining peace. Amid the biggest drop in East-West relations since the end of the Cold War due to the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, Azerbaijan is navigating a balanced line to flourish relations with its historic partner and overlord, Russia, and an increasingly more important market, Europe.

This was the first visit from the European Commissioner since 2011, when the EU and Azerbaijan were celebrating the announcement of the “Southern Gas Corridor” – a proposed pipeline that would carry natural gas to Europe through Azerbaijan, sidestepping Russia. Since the start of the Ukrainian Crisis, Europe has renewed calls to diversify its natural gas imports away from Russia and toward other energy partners. Azerbaijan, which is rich in oil and gas, provides such an opportunity. In light of this new development, it is clear that this deal is mutually beneficial to Azerbaijan and the EU: as the EU increases partnership with a potential energy supplier, Azerbaijan receives more investment and international prestige. The latter has proven troublesome for Azerbaijan, because of its unimpressive human rights record.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on his part, discussed Eurasian integration – a cornerstone of Russian foreign policy in former USSR – with the Azerbaijanis. Eurasian integration, embodied by the Eurasian Economic Union, a multinational economic union meant for countries of the Former Soviet Union, was officially launched by Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus recently. In the Caucasus, Armenia is poised to join as a full member shortly, but Azerbaijan is not interested. Nonetheless, there is controversy with Armenia’s entry into the EEU over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region – a territory that sparked a war between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the dissolution of the USSR which has been under Armenian de facto control since. The international community, including Russia and Azerbaijan, does not recognize this status quo, and Russia has moved to reassure Azerbaijan that Armenian integration into the EEU space will not apply to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Since the fall of the USSR in 1991, the post-Soviet states have tried to assemble through institutions like the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, but tendencies have shown that countries in the Caucasus and Eastern Europe have been more interested in seeking integration with Europe instead of their former compatriots. Among the Caucasus recognized republics, only Armenia has opted to integrate into the Eurasian area, despite being the only of the three countries that does not share a border with Russia. Azerbaijan, unlike Armenia, has the resources and geopolitical value to engage in a more independent foreign policy which has allowed it to successfully chart a path that entails closer ties with Europe and cooperation with Russia in common interests. The signing of the Cooperation Agreement with Europe does not mean that the Azeris are turning their backs on Russia; more likely, it can be seen that this is a normal development of international relations as Azerbaijan can supply what both Europe and Russia demand of it, and vice-versa.