Baku expects EU to back words with action after von der Leyen visit Article by Jamestown Foundation

A recent article published by the American think tank Jamestown Foundation argued that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Baku signalled a broader reassessment of relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan.

The authors contended that von der Leyen arrived in the Azerbaijani capital with tangible financial pledges and messaging that underscored Brussels’ recognition of Azerbaijan as a dependable and strategically important partner. They noted that the country plays a key role in Europe’s efforts to diversify gas supplies, advance the revitalised Trans-Caspian agenda, and strengthen the wider connectivity network developing along the Middle Corridor.

"Successive rounds—most recently in Baku on June 2–3—provisionally agreeing a set of Partnership Priorities for 2026–2030 spanning political dialogue, connectivity, energy, trade, and digital cooperation, alongside continued work on the text of a new Comprehensive Agreement," the publication read.

According to the article’s authors, the remarks delivered during the European Commission President’s visit, combined with projects being implemented under the Global Gateway initiative, point to the emergence of a new framework for EU–Azerbaijan cooperation. In their view, both sides are gradually moving beyond a period marked by mutual scepticism and mistrust.

The Jamestown Foundation further suggested that the future trajectory of the relationship would largely depend on whether the European side delivered on the practical measures that Baku expected.

"If the coming months bring the follow-through that Baku says it is still waiting for, the Baku leg of this tour may come to be remembered less as another round of declaratory friendship and more as a marker of the moment the EU–Azerbaijan partnership began to be rebuilt on steadier and more balanced ground," the article stated.

By Jeyhun Aghazada