Why Brussels speaks with two voices on Azerbaijan [OPINION] |
Wednesday, April 16th, was a busy day in Brussels. One room saw discussions between a high-level delegation from Azerbaijan and representatives of the European External Action Service in connection with negotiating a new partnership agreement with Azerbaijan. Another room saw a vote on resolutions by Belgian and Dutch parliaments to insist on the immediate release of the Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan and withdrawal from Armenia. Four days after this incident, Azerbaijan called in the ambassadors of Belgium and the Netherlands to its capital, Baku. This was not surprising. It was, to say the least, an interesting time for this kind of activity.
The events of April 16 are by no means an exception. This is what the typical functioning of the European foreign policy vis-a-vis Azerbaijan looks like. The strategy of engagement and criticism at the same time, both seemingly unaware of, or at least indifferent to, each other's existence. While Europe's executive is courting Baku as a supplier of natural gas to fill the gap left by the Russian Federation, an intermediary for transit through the Middle Corridor, and a geopolitical partner in the South Caucasus which is not aligned with Russia or Iran, the European parliament........