Europe Speaks — the Caucasus Listens: How Brussels’ Resolution Complicates Peace Between Baku and Yerevan

On Monday, in the quiet mountain city of Gabala, far from the diplomatic rhythm of the capital, President Ilham Aliyev and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš met behind closed doors to discuss the future of relations that have long been built on oil, but are now increasingly shaped by more complex economic and geopolitical interdependencies.

The visit of Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs to Azerbaijan this week was not merely a diplomatic event, but part of a broader effort to reassess economic and strategic ties between the Baltic region and the South Caucasus. During talks with President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, the focus was on how to translate political partnership into measurable economic outcomes.

The Council of Foreign Ministers of the European Union has decided to establish a new civilian European Union Partnership Mission in Armenia (EUPM Armenia), which will operate within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy.

A meeting was held in Brussels between the delegations of Azerbaijan and the European Union with the aim of resuming negotiations on a new bilateral agreement and conducting the next round of discussions on the document “Partnership Priorities.” According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani delegation was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev, while the European Union side was led by Deputy Managing Director of the European External Action Service Audrone Perkauskiene.