Azerbaijan-France: $2 billion and not a word about human rights

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.

At a committee meeting in Baku on Monday, lawmakers agreed to advance a bill ratifying the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs, paving the way for a parliamentary vote on February 20. The decision, technical at first glance, offers a revealing insight into the shifting — and increasingly pragmatic — relationship between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe.