Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe: Pragmatism Over Principles

Parliamentary elections will be held in Hungary on April 12, which may bring an end to the long-standing rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

When Antonio Costa, the president of the European Council, arrived in Azerbaijan’s capital on March 11, his visit carried the symbolism of a partnership that has steadily grown more important to both sides — and more complicated.

Azerbaijan’s economic relationship with the European Union has deepened into one of the most strategically significant pillars of the country’s foreign economic policy, as energy exports, trade flows and investment ties continue to expand against the backdrop of Europe’s search for diversified energy supplies.

When Ilham Aliyev stepped onto the tarmac in Belgrade in mid-February, greeted by Aleksandar Vučić with full military honours, the picture looked familiar. What mattered was not the ceremony but the subtext: Serbia and Azerbaijan are building something more durable than diplomatic symbolism — an energy-centred partnership that could subtly alter the economic map of the Balkans.