Europe itself is seeking dialogue with Baku
There is one diplomatic indicator that speaks more eloquently than many official statements.
It is not the number of invitations to international forums, nor even the number of negotiations held, but rather who initiates the meeting. When heads of state and government themselves request a bilateral contact with the president of Azerbaijan, this is no longer a matter of protocol attention toward a participant in yet another summit. It is evidence of interest in dialogue with a state whose opinion and capabilities are gaining ever greater weight in resolving issues on the European and regional agenda.
Precisely such was the character of Ilham Aliyev's bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the ninth summit of the European Political Community in Dublin. All of them took place at the initiative and request of the other side. And this circumstance deserves special attention. It allows us to look at Azerbaijan's participation in the European political process from a somewhat different angle. Baku no longer has to prove that it is necessary to talk to it. European partners themselves are seeking opportunities to discuss with it issues affecting their economic, energy, and political interests.
A demand determined by real interests
The composition of the Dublin talks is telling in itself. President Ilham Aliyev held meetings with the leaders of Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Romania, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. Moreover, behind this wide circle of contacts stood an agenda that was far from abstract. At the center of attention were energy security, trade and investment, transportation routes, the development of interregional ties, as well as issues of peace and security in the South Caucasus.
It is noteworthy that practically every one of these areas is directly linked to Azerbaijan's capabilities. European states need reliable supplies of energy resources, new routes for trade, and sustainable transportation links with Central Asia and the Caspian region. For a number of countries, the expansion of economic cooperation, the attraction of investment, and access to Azerbaijan's experience in implementing large-scale infrastructure projects are also relevant. In other words, interest in Baku is dictated not by diplomatic courtesy, but by entirely concrete needs.
This was especially clearly manifested in the energy part of the talks. Azerbaijani gas, which is already reaching the markets of a number of European states, became one of the subjects of discussion with the leaders of countries interested in diversifying supplies and strengthening their own energy security. At the same time, the conversation long ago went beyond natural gas alone. The prospects for expanding electricity cooperation, creating new corridors for energy transmission, developing renewable sources, and the possibility of exporting "green" electricity with Azerbaijan's participation were discussed.
No less telling is the attention paid to transportation connectivity. The Middle Corridor, the East–West and North–South routes, the development of railway and port infrastructure, new communications across the Caspian — all of this is turning Azerbaijan into a key link in the emerging transportation architecture of Eurasia. For European states, it is a matter of diversifying logistics, reaching new markets, and reducing dependence on a limited number of routes. For Baku, it is a matter of further strengthening transit potential and expanding economic ties.
It is telling that the Dublin talks discussed not only general prospects, but also entirely concrete projects. In particular, the development of the Middle Corridor, the export of renewable energy to the European market, the electricity interconnection of the countries of the region, and railway communication with Nakhchivan were considered. Thus, for European partners, Azerbaijan acts not simply as a supplier of resources or a transit territory. It is becoming a participant in the formation of new economic and infrastructure links capable of changing the configuration of relations between Europe and Asia.
It is precisely in this context that Ilham Aliyev's meeting in Dublin with President of the European Council António Costa should also be assessed. The discussion of long-term gas contracts, mechanisms for financing energy projects, the export of renewable energy, and the Middle Corridor showed that Baku's relations with European institutions have entirely substantive content. Moreover, Costa invited the president of Azerbaijan to visit the European Union to continue the dialogue.
The interest of European capitals in Azerbaijan is manifested not only on international platforms. In 2025, the country was visited by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos. In March 2026, President of the European Council António Costa and European Commissioner for Energy and Housing Dan Jørgensen visited Baku, and in July a working visit by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen took place. The sequence of these contacts reflects the aspiration of European institutions to maintain direct dialogue with the Azerbaijani leadership and to expand practical cooperation.
Azerbaijan's energy and transportation strength
At the foundation of the country's growing demand lies the work carried out in recent years. The Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy, signed by Azerbaijan and the EU in July 2022, became an important basis for expanding cooperation. Today Azerbaijan exports natural gas to 16 countries, including 10 member states of the European Union. At the same time, the potential for further growth in supplies remains.
Speaking at a round table within the framework of the Dublin summit devoted to Europe's competitiveness, innovation, connectivity, and affordable energy, Ilham Aliyev reported that after the signing of the memorandum, supplies of Azerbaijani gas to the European Union increased from 8 to 13 billion cubic meters. According to the president, this constitutes almost half of Azerbaijan's total gas exports. The head of state also emphasized that the country intends to increase supplies, including thanks to the opening of new fields.
Behind these figures stands the Southern Gas Corridor — a large-scale infrastructure system that has connected the Caspian region with the European market. Azerbaijan did not limit itself to declaring its readiness to become an alternative supplier, but created a route through which energy resources reach consumers. Moreover, the existing infrastructure is already operating at full capacity, and its individual sections are being expanded. This is precisely the practical result that gives the energy partnership political weight.
The next stage is linked to renewable energy. The wind energy potential of the Caspian, solar power plants, projects for transmitting "green" energy, and the laying of an electric cable along the bottom of the Black Sea open up new opportunities for cooperation with European markets. In the future, Azerbaijan is capable of strengthening its position as a supplier not only of traditional energy resources, but also of clean electricity. It is also important that this work presupposes interaction with Georgia, Turkey, the countries of Central Asia, and the states of the European Union.
The transportation dimension complements the energy one. The Middle Corridor has already turned into one of the most discussed routes between Europe and Asia, while the development of railway, road, and port infrastructure is increasing its throughput capacity. Azerbaijan's geographical position in this system is a serious advantage, but even more important is that the country is consistently turning it into functioning infrastructure and economic ties. Therefore, the interest of European states in developing transportation routes through Azerbaijan is entirely natural.
The peace process is also part of the European agenda
A separate place in the Dublin program was occupied by Ilham Aliyev's meeting with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. The parties discussed the further advancement of the peace agenda on the basis of the results of the Washington summit of August 8, 2025. At the center of the conversation were practical steps to strengthen peace, the development of transportation and transit links, trade and economic interaction, border delimitation, and confidence-building measures.
Special attention was paid to the TRIPP project, including the planning and design of the railway and road components of the route. The prospects for transit communication were also discussed. An important detail: the parties noted that since November of last year, a total of 105,000 tons of cargo had been transported through the territory of Azerbaijan to Armenia. This is a concrete example of how economic and transportation contacts can become part of the process of normalizing relations. Among other topics were the upcoming connection of the two countries' electricity grids and cooperation in the field of transboundary water resources.
The very fact of this meeting on the sidelines of a European summit is also significant. The peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia remains one of the key factors of security in the South Caucasus, and its advancement opens up prospects for broader regional connectivity. At the same time, Baku proceeds from its own national interests and consistently works toward a transition from political statements to practical solutions. European partners interested in the stability of the region and the development of communications cannot ignore Azerbaijan's role in this process.
Another important result of Dublin diplomacy was the formalization of relations with the United Kingdom at a new level. The joint declaration on strategic partnership, exchanged by Ilham Aliyev and Andy Burnham, covers defense and security, trade, investment, energy, transportation, education, and innovation. The document provides for the further development of cooperation across a wide range of areas, including the Middle Corridor and renewable energy. During the talks, the president of Azerbaijan emphasized that the United Kingdom is the largest European investor in the country, and that the energy cooperation of the two states has been developing successfully for more than thirty years.
From a participant in the European dialogue to a summit host
Ilham Aliyev's participation in the summits of the European Political Community has long become a consistent part of Azerbaijani diplomacy. The president took part in the meetings in Prague in October 2022, Bulboaca in June 2023, Oxford in July 2024, Tirana in May 2025, and Copenhagen in October 2025. At the eighth summit in Yerevan on May 4, 2026, he spoke via video link. Now the visit to Dublin has taken place, where Azerbaijan was represented at the highest level and held a series of bilateral talks.
But the most important event in the country's relations with this format is still ahead. Speaking at the Yerevan summit, Ilham Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan would host the participants of the EPC in May 2028. The president recalled that Baku had supported holding the summit in Armenia, and then proposed holding one of the next meetings in Azerbaijan. The proposal was accepted, and our country's candidacy was supported by the Armenian side as well. "So I invite the members of the EPC to Azerbaijan in May 2028," the head of state declared.
There is an important political meaning in this decision. Azerbaijan did not turn the holding of the summit in Armenia into a pretext for a demonstrative refusal to participate in the pan-European dialogue. On the contrary, Baku supported the very idea of the meeting, while at the same time securing the holding of the next summit on its own territory. As a result, the country gained the opportunity not simply to participate in the discussion of the pan-European agenda, but also to host heads of state and government, as well as representatives of European institutions.
In 2028, European leaders will come to Baku for a summit that Azerbaijan will host. And this is, perhaps, the most vivid result of the current stage of relations. Baku is no longer simply present on the European political platform. It is becoming one of those centers where this agenda will be shaped and discussed.
