Analysts have assessed the consequences for Baku of breaking off relations with the European Parliament.

The severing of the Milli Majlis's cooperation with the European Parliament, which was primarily symbolic, will not lead to economic losses for Azerbaijan thanks to the EU's interest in energy and transport partnerships. However, Baku could suffer political and image costs, while Brussels will lose the opportunity to demand compliance with European human rights standards, Baku analysts noted.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," parliamentarians decided to suspend all ties between the Milli Majlis and the European Parliament after the European Parliament adopted a resolution that points to the right of return of Armenians to Karabakh and demands the release of Armenian prisoners of war. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry handed a note of protest to the EU Ambassador.

Cooperation with the European Parliament was important for Baku in connection with the Karabakh conflict

Relations between Azerbaijan and the European Parliament have been formal in nature in recent years, and the Milli Majlis’s decision to terminate cooperation merely formalized the rupture, a Baku analyst, who did not wish to be named, told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Although, he continued, at one time, this cooperation had quite practical significance for Azerbaijan, and it was especially related to the Karabakh conflict.

The European Parliament was one of the important international platforms from which it was important for Azerbaijan to achieve recognition of its position’s compliance with the requirements of international law.

“During that period, Azerbaijan made great efforts to confirm support in the international arena. "its territorial integrity. The European Parliament was one of the most important international platforms where Azerbaijan sought to secure recognition of its position's compliance with international law. And Baku has repeatedly achieved this by adopting positions in support of its territorial integrity and protecting the rights of internally displaced persons to return to their homes," the expert said.

In particular, he noted, the Resolution of 20 May 2010 on the need for an EU strategy for the South Caucasus emphasized respect for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and the need for the withdrawal of Armenian forces from its territory. The Resolution of 23 October 2013, within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy, supported the sovereignty and territorial integrity of partner countries, including Azerbaijan. The June 20, 2020, resolution on the Eastern Partnership program reaffirmed support for the territorial integrity of participating countries, including Azerbaijan. The July 4, 2018 resolution welcomed Azerbaijan's efforts to support refugees and internally displaced persons, the expert further noted.

17:01 19.12.2024

The European Parliament called for sanctions against Azerbaijani Security forces

The European Parliament condemned the persecution of activists and independent media workers in Azerbaijan and called for the release of political prisoners, as well as sanctions against the presidential aide and the heads of two security agencies.

"However, after the 44-day war of 2020 and the anti-terrorist operation in September 2023, criticism of Azerbaijan, accusing it of using military force, intensified in the European Parliament. Baku rejected this criticism, pointing out that Azerbaijan was restoring its internationally recognized territorial integrity after years of fruitless negotiations. However, criticism was directed not only at Azerbaijan's actions regarding Karabakh, but also at human rights violations in Azerbaijan. Over the past 2-3 years, the European Parliament has condemned the Azerbaijani authorities for politically motivated arrests of civil society representatives and the cases of political prisoners. This has caused extreme discontent in Baku. The latest The European Parliament's resolution of April 30, although it concerned Armenia and only touched on Azerbaijan in certain points, was used by the Azerbaijani parliament to finally sever cooperation with the European Parliament and leave the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly," the analyst noted.

According to In his opinion, for Azerbaijan, after the country has restored its territorial integrity and, in the current international situation, increased its geopolitical and geo-economic significance as a link in intersecting global transport projects such as the Middle Corridor, the North-South Corridor, and an alternative energy source for Europe, a break with the European Parliament does not entail direct political and economic losses, since the European Commission is interested in a partnership with Azerbaijan. However, he continued, there will be disadvantages for both sides from the termination of cooperation.

00:30 16.04.2026

Russian analysts assess the potential of the Trans-Caspian corridor against the backdrop of the war in Iran

The Trans-Caspian corridor, given economic factors, is not capable of replacing the sea routes through the Straits of Hormuz or Bab el-Mandeb. However, against the backdrop of the war in Iran, its importance as an alternative route to Europe has temporarily increased, according to Russian analysts.

"The European Parliament is losing its limited practical influence, since its interaction with Azerbaijan was mainly symbolic and political "The termination of cooperation means the cessation of the work of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly. This completely deprives the European Parliament of a direct channel for advancing human rights and democracy. Delegation visits, joint hearings, and information exchange become impossible, weakening its influence on Baku. Russia could fill the resulting void," the analyst said.

As for Azerbaijan, according to the expert, Baku is losing political channels for dialogue with the European Parliament.

"The termination of cooperation with the European Parliament, following the suspension of the Azerbaijani delegation to PACE (in January 2024), deprives the Milli Majlis of the opportunity to advance Baku's position in European circles on Azerbaijan's new political agenda of positioning the country as a regional leader." Of course, Azerbaijani society portrays the decision to suspend its participation in the European Parliament as a "release from pressure and blackmail," but objectively, this reduces Azerbaijan's influence within the EU as a whole. Despite the biased position of some groups in the European Parliament and their distortion of political and legal reality, Baku should not have severed ties. "In my opinion, it was necessary to maintain communication channels and defend our position," the analyst believes.

Furthermore, this also entails image losses for Azerbaijan.

"The rupture will be used by Azerbaijan's enemies to bolster the country's image as an authoritarian state, which will potentially complicate attracting investment from private entities and limit interpersonal and tourist ties," the analyst added.

At the same time, Azerbaijan is losing its voice on the Euronest parliamentary platform, where not only EU countries but also post-Soviet countries are represented.

"For Azerbaijan, participation in Euronest allowed it to advance its positions not only on political issues but also on energy partnerships," the expert said.

In his opinion, severing ties with the European Parliament is contrary to Azerbaijan's long-term interests. "Without participation in Euronest and the Cooperation Committee with the European Parliament, Azerbaijan is losing a platform for advancing narratives about a final settlement of the conflict. Azerbaijan's absence could be exploited by revanchist political forces in Armenia and their lobbyists, as well as all those forces and countries whose interests clash with those of Azerbaijan in Europe," the analyst said.

Refusing to cooperate with the European Parliament could complicate Azerbaijan's diplomatic position.

Togrul Juvarli, a member of the Azerbaijan National Public Committee on European Integration, also believes that severing ties with the European Parliament will negatively impact Baku's relations with European institutions.

"The European Parliament is the representative body of the European Union and does not directly exercise legally binding influence on the decisions of the EU's regulatory and executive bodies – the Council of the EU and the European Commission – regarding international relations. "Given the EU's need for Azerbaijan's energy resources and global transport and logistics projects, and given the close partnership between individual EU states and Azerbaijan, the European Parliament is unlikely to be able to significantly influence the deterioration of Brussels' relations with Baku," Juvarly told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Refusing to cooperate with the European Parliament still entails image losses for Azerbaijan.

On the other hand, he said, Azerbaijan, with its financial self-sufficiency, allows itself to avoid excessive commitments in its partnership with the EU.

"Azerbaijan has defined its strategy with the EU exclusively within the framework of an energy partnership, including projects related to both traditional energy resources and green energy." Baku, unlike several other Eastern Partnership countries, such as Armenia, Moldova, and Ukraine, does not require financial and technical assistance from the EU, which required it to adapt to the organization's standards, particularly in the area of ​​human rights. For the same reason, Baku has no disadvantages from its ties to the European Parliament in terms of leveraging its legislative expertise. However, refusing to cooperate with the European Parliament still entails image losses for Azerbaijan and, in the long term, could reduce Azerbaijan's political presence in Europe and complicate its diplomatic position," Juvarli said.

The President of the European Parliament responded to Aliyev's criticism

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking via video link today at the European Political Community summit in Yerevan, criticized the European Parliament, reaffirming Baku's commitment to the peace process with Armenia and emphasizing the practical results achieved, including the restoration of trade and transport links.

"This assembly (the European Parliament), instead of supporting the peace process, prefers to sabotage it. From May 2021, six months after the end of the Second Karabakh War, until April 30, 2026, the European Parliament adopted 14 resolutions full of insults and lies against Azerbaijan. Just imagine, 14 resolutions in five years—it's a kind of obsession. The last one was adopted just four days ago, deliberately, just before the summit. Instead of addressing the fundamental problems of some member states, such as xenophobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, migration, competitiveness, and homelessness, the European Parliament has targeted Azerbaijan, spreading slander and lies. "The reason is that Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty, put an end to separatism, and brought war criminals to justice," AzerTag quoted Aliyev as saying.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola disagreed with the Azerbaijani leader.

"Parliament, with its directly elected representatives, is a democratic body. European Parliament resolutions are adopted by a majority. The results may create certain inconveniences for many, but we will never change our working procedures or the positions we follow," Sputnik Armenia quoted her as saying.