The West cannot isolate Azerbaijan...

In the intricate geopolitical theater of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has increasingly raised concerns about purported Western efforts to isolate the country, highlighting a narrative of perceived marginalization and strategic encirclement. Recent diplomatic exchanges and regional developments have underscored these apprehensions, framing Azerbaijan's relations with the West within a prism of contention and divergence.

A key focal point of Azerbaijan's grievances lies in its characterization of Western actions as fostering division and discord within the region. President Ilham Aliyev's assertion during a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on April 3 epitomizes this narrative, warning against the consequences of sidelining Azerbaijan in trilateral engagements such as The Washington-Brussels-Yerevan meeting. Aliyev contends that such exclusions risk exacerbating tensions and erecting new fault lines in the South Caucasus, a region already rife with historical animosities and unresolved conflicts.

The juxtaposition of Azerbaijan's concerns with recent developments in Brussels only serves to deepen its anxieties. On April 5, a trilateral meeting convened in Brussels, bringing together European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The gathering culminated in a pledge of substantial financial assistance to Armenia, amounting to $356 million, aimed at bolstering the country's stability and diversifying its economy away from Russian dependence.

For Azerbaijan, this display of Western largesse towards Armenia stands as a stark reminder of its own perceived neglect and marginalization within the Euro-Atlantic sphere. Despite Azerbaijan's participation in the European Union's Eastern Partnership Program since 2009, substantive progress towards a partnership agreement has remained elusive. While Armenia swiftly inked such an agreement in 2013, Azerbaijan's reluctance to embrace internal liberalization and democratization measures has stymied deeper integration efforts, casting a pall over bilateral relations.

Critics within Azerbaijan argue that the onus for the country's purported isolation does not lie with external actors but with its own reticence to embrace political and economic reforms. Azer Gasimli, head of the Institute of Political Management, in an interview with Azadlig Radio, contends that Azerbaijan's failure to fulfill its obligations upon joining institutions such as the Council of Europe has eroded trust and impeded progress towards deeper engagement with Western partners.

And MP Elshad Mirbashirogly told Turan that the West has always shown a biased position towards Azerbaijan. In his opinion, many examples can be cited to justify this: "When Azerbaijan liberated its territories from occupation in 2020, it ensured compliance with four UN Security Council resolutions. In this regard, the West should ask why, instead of saying "Thank you" to Azerbaijan, why did they launch biased discussions? The Security Council held a biased discussion against Azerbaijan seven times and wanted to adopt resolutions. Isn't this the desire of the West to isolate Azerbaijan? But the phrase "The West isolates Azerbaijan" does not correspond to reality either. Even if the West wants to, it will not be able to do this. The West cannot isolate Azerbaijan from itself, because the European energy market depends on Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon reserves."

Against this backdrop, Azerbaijan finds itself at a crossroads, torn between competing geopolitical imperatives and divergent visions of its future trajectory. The specter of isolation looms large, casting a pall over Azerbaijan's aspirations for regional leadership and economic diversification.