Europe needs Azerbaijan: for the summit of the European Political Community

On May 16, the 6th Summit of the European Political Community (ENP) will be held in Tirana, the capital of Albania, bringing together the heads of state and Government of 44 European countries.

This platform was founded in October 2022, when the first ENP meeting was held in Prague, bringing together the heads of 44 states. The stated goals of the new format are to expand political dialogue and cooperation, strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent, as well as ensure exchanges between the European Union and non-member States. The ENP is not an organization, it is just a platform where you can meet and discuss pressing issues in Europe and the world.

The summits are held twice a year, and the Tirana summit will be the sixth in a row. Given the relative stability in the number of heads of state attending ENP meetings, it can be said that the initiative has taken root and is already beginning to play a role in decision-making and clock reconciliation.

I must say that the initiative of the European Political Community belongs to French President Emmanuel Macron. In 2022, France held the presidency of the European Council, and the initiative was supposed to mark the success of the French presidency. This time, Macron's initiative turned out to be successful, because new geopolitical realities require new approaches and an understanding that the fate of Europe is being decided not only in the European Union. In conditions when the existing international and European structures turned into clubs promoting the interests of individual countries and circles, a new platform was needed, with a wider geographical scope and less rigid concepts. This is all the more important today, when the world is experiencing the second period of turbulence after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Europe, as well as its neighbors, are primarily concerned with this. Therefore, the format, which does not provide for strict geographical limits, conditions and unacceptable requirements, was continued. The ENP has become a broad discussion platform without conventions.

Is it possible to solve the problems of Europe without the participation of countries like Azerbaijan? It's not that our country is powerful and omnipotent, but it occupies a key position at the junction of Europe and Asia, East and West, North and South. In the new geopolitical realities, these advantages are becoming particularly in demand. In addition, Azerbaijan has confirmed the status of a strong and capable state, restoring its territorial integrity. All this has allowed our country to become one of not just regional, but decisive players in the South Caucasus.

Azerbaijan has been invited to participate in the new platform since the creation of the ENP. At the invitation of the then head of the European Council, Charles Michel, President Ilham Aliyev attended the summit, which opened in Prague on October 6, 2022. The international authority of Azerbaijan and its leader is indisputable, and the presence of a politician like Ilham Aliyev was, one might say, mandatory. It is noteworthy that even then many participants of the summit addressed Azerbaijan as a country with an important mediation potential in sensitive regional and international issues.

It should be noted that a few days before the opening of the Prague summit, the Azerbaijani leader participated in the opening of the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector (IGB) in Sofia. This event became one of the most important for Europe at that time, given the growing Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the approaching winter.

In Prague, the President of Azerbaijan participated in a round table discussion on "Peace and security on the European continent." Many people noticed that in the joint photo of the participants, he stands in the center in the first row. This photo spoke for itself.

President Ilham Aliyev also participated in the 2nd summit of the European Political Community, held on June 1, 2023 in Moldova.

The Azerbaijani leader took part in a round table discussion on energy security issues. Just before the ENP summit, on May 31, the Baku Energy Week began, which brought together hundreds of companies from all over the world, including from the European Union. As of today, 10 EU countries already receive Azerbaijani gas, and several are waiting in line for Azerbaijani fuel. But it is not only and not even so much the energy dependence of Europeans that allows Azerbaijan to feel confident on any European platform. Azerbaijan is truly sovereign and self-sufficient. He needs nothing from Europe except to expand his circle of friends and mutually beneficial partnership.

In this context, it is important to note that Azerbaijan is increasingly pursuing its interests not only regionally but also globally, including through the support of the countries of the Global South, opposing neocolonial approaches and discrimination based on membership in developing countries. One of the most striking examples of this position was Azerbaijan's response to the global health crisis. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Baku openly opposed "vaccine nationalism" and supported the equitable distribution of medical resources.

Due to a busy schedule, President Ilham Aliyev did not participate in the 3rd and 5th ENP summits, held respectively in Granada, Spain, and Budapest.

The 4th summit, held on July 18, 2024 in Oxford, was full of meetings for the Azerbaijani leader. In addition to participating in the discussions, he held many bilateral meetings. Many participants of the summit expressed a desire to meet with the head of Azerbaijan and discuss pressing issues. Ilham Aliyev was surrounded by the attention of European leaders. It was a demonstration of Baku's successful foreign policy and the growing authority of the Azerbaijani leader. Despite all the unpleasant campaigns against our country, European politicians understand the importance of partnership with Azerbaijan and friendship with its President.

During the Oxford summit, Ilham Aliyev participated in a round table on "Energy and Communications". During the discussions, he told European partners about Azerbaijan's plans for gas supplies to Europe. By 2027, the country intends to double supplies. "The European Commission considers Azerbaijan to be a reliable partner in the field of energy, as well as a pan-European gas supplier. This is a huge responsibility, and, of course, we are trying to do everything to fulfill our commitment to supply 20 billion cubic meters to the EU alone by 2027. This is our goal. We have the resources and infrastructure to do this. We need to accelerate the negotiation process with new partners, primarily Slovenia and Slovakia, and work on increasing gas supplies to existing markets," the head of state said.

In Oxford, President Ilham Aliyev also touched upon the demonization of oil and gas production. But I didn't go into it then, leaving my comments for later. These comments were made during the COP29 climate conference in Baku in November of the same year. The Azerbaijani leader clearly conveyed to the Europeans that increasing supplies and expanding production requires guarantees from buyers and investments. Europe expects Azerbaijan to implement the agreement signed in July 2022 between Baku and the European Commission, but in light of its decarbonization program refuses to invest in projects related to fossil fuels. In parallel, mining countries are trying to form a guilt complex. Baku opposes such a policy and speaks openly about it, emphasizing that ensuring Europe's energy security cannot be based on ideological distortions.

The current 6th summit of the European Political Community will focus on European political and economic security and the role of the new generation in shaping Europe's future. The topics are relevant, and Azerbaijan has something to say here.

The next, 7th ENP summit is scheduled for October 2, 2025 in Denmark.