EU prioritizes Azerbaijani energy over Armenian integration, says German MEP

The prospect of Armenia joining the European Union is "entirely unrealistic" under current geopolitical conditions, said Tomasz Froelich, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the European Parliament.

Froelich said that he considered Armenia’s accession to the EU absolutely unrealistic at the current stage, adding that he said this as someone who had a great deal of sympathy for Armenia, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

Froelich emphasized that Armenia’s potential accession runs counter to the EU’s strategic interests, particularly in the realm of energy security. “This is partly because Azerbaijan plays an important role for the EU,” he explained. “The European Union shares common interests with Azerbaijan, especially after Russia effectively ceased to be a supplier of energy resources. In this context, Azerbaijan has partially filled that gap, and its significance for Brussels has grown.”

The German lawmaker argued that deepening ties with Armenia at the expense of cooperation with Azerbaijan is “highly unlikely” and “simply unrealistic.” He pointed out that, since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the EU has recalibrated its energy partnerships, elevating Azerbaijan’s role as a key alternative supplier of natural gas.

Froelich also criticized what he described as double standards in Brussels’ foreign policy. “The EU does not support Armenia where it truly would be necessary, while actively cooperating with Azerbaijan,” he said. “This is not necessarily bad in itself, but it clearly contradicts the rhetoric Brussels usually employs.”

By Vafa Guliyeva