Azerbaijan and the impact of the lack of democratisation on relations with the EU

Abstract

In 2009 Azerbaijan joined the EU’s Eastern Partnership (EaP) programme, officially confirming its devotion to the once-preferred strategic foreign-policy course—that of integration with European and Euro–Atlantic structures. However, Azerbaijan’s official interest in such integration has since waned, which is reflected in the country’s near-last-place position in signing the EaP agreements. In 2014, of all the areas involved, Azerbaijan has so far only signed the visa facilitation and readmission agreements. On key interests only one appears to be mutual in practice—that of energy security. Of all EaP countries, Azerbaijan appeared to be the most capable of resisting various Russian pressures by avoiding policies provoking its powerful northern neighbour, while at the same time balancing interests and playing a strategic role in the area of EU energy security. However, this political avoidance and balancing act has been reached at the expense of increasing deviation from its key strategic path and identity as laid down by the founders of the modern nation state of Azerbaijan, resulting in a change in the nature of relations with the EU.