A steady march from Prague to Copenhagen President Aliyev at the EPS Summit

On 2 October, the 7th Summit of the European Political Community (EPC) took place in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. The event focused on topics such as common security in Europe, traditional and hybrid threats, economic security, migration, and other issues. The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, participated in the summit and also held a series of meetings on the sidelines of the event.

The head of state met with the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu; the President of the European Council, António Costa; the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni; the President of France, Emmanuel Macron; the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy; and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Dick Schoof.

Equally important, a meeting took place between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. During the meeting, both sides emphasised the importance of the agreements reached at the Washington Peace Summit, reaffirmed their readiness to continue working on strengthening peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, highlighted the benefits of regional transport communications, discussed the current progress in infrastructure development in Azerbaijan and the TRIPP project in Armenia, and exchanged views on the implementation of the Washington Declaration. In this context, the parties welcomed the unanimous decision to close the OSCE Minsk Process and its associated structures. The meeting also stressed the importance of further trust-building measures and agreed to continue mutual contacts.

This meeting once again marked a new stage in the settlement process, where the remaining issues are considered Armenia’s “homework,” while all urgent problems requiring immediate discussion between the leaders and delegations of the two countries have already disappeared from the agenda.

In confirmation of this approach, today the National Assembly of Armenia adopted a statement on establishing peace with Azerbaijan. The statement, drafted by the “Civil Contract” faction, was approved with 64 votes in favour and 2 abstentions. It sets out the principles underlying the agreements signed on August 8 this year in Washington by the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia. The Armenian Parliament calls on society, as well as political, expert, and cultural circles in both countries, to refrain from discourse or actions that could reignite conflict.

The current status of the settlement is all the more valuable because it was not always guaranteed; it is the result of Azerbaijan’s purposeful actions to defend its rightful position and to strengthen its geopolitical influence and authority on the global stage.

At the very first EPC summit in Prague in 2022, Armenia formally recognised the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, while Baku successfully thwarted plans to expand the EU’s intelligence mission on Azerbaijani soil.

President Ilham Aliyev’s firm stance on the neutrality of mediators led to Azerbaijan’s decision to refrain from participating in the Granada summit, where France sought to impose its own agenda, incompatible with a fair resolution of the conflict.

In subsequent years, the focus shifted to energy and infrastructure. At the Oxford summit, Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s strategic importance as a reliable energy supplier and expressed readiness to increase gas deliveries to the EU to 20 billion cubic metres by 2027. In Tirana, his position was acknowledged in the context of developing the Middle Corridor, cementing the country’s status as a key transport and energy hub.

As can be observed, Baku’s firm policy has gradually shifted the issue of the Armenia–Azerbaijan settlement out of the EPC format, placing the platform before the fact of normalisation, which is now taking place on a bilateral basis. During the previously mentioned meeting with António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen, Ilham Aliyev stated that progress on the peace agenda holds historic significance not only for Armenia and Azerbaijan but for the entire region. The President emphasised that Armenia and Azerbaijan have already adapted to life under conditions of peace and added that Baku will continue to make efforts to further advance the peace agenda.

Year by year, Azerbaijan is becoming an increasingly important actor not only in Europe but also on the global stage. In this context, the EPC summit, in light of the final steps in the Armenia–Azerbaijan settlement, serves as an excellent platform for discussing and defining cooperation between the Old Continent and the South Caucasus.