Jamestown: Baku awaits practical EU steps following von der Leyen visit

The visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Baku reflected a broader recalibration of EU-Azerbaijan relations, according to an article by the American think tank Jamestown,  Olaylar informs.

According to the authorschr("39") assessment, von der Leyen arrived in Baku with concrete financial commitments and statements emphasizing its view of Azerbaijan as a reliable and indispensable partner central to Europechr("39")s gas diversification amid a newly reenergized Trans-Caspian agenda, and to the wider connectivity architecture taking shape around the Middle Corridor.

"Successive rounds-most recently in Baku on June 2-3-provisionally agreed on 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 notes.

The authors of the article believe that together with initiatives within the framework of the Global Gateway program, the statements made during the visit of the European Commission President indicate the formation of a new model of relations between the European Union and Azerbaijan. In their assessment, the sides are gradually moving away from an atmosphere of mutual distrust.

The Jamestown Foundation believes that the further development of relations will depend on practical steps that Baku expects from the European side.

"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 states.