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Last week I visited Baku, Azerbaijan. My visit was relatively short, but very intensive, and had many meetings with stakeholders and colleagues. When I arrived in Baku first time in 1996,  Azerbaijan was a different country: weak, poor, and shaken by defeat in war. For thirty year the Karabakh issue dominated the agenda: the political agenda but also the popular mindset. Now, thirty years later, Azerbaijan has returned to Karabakh, and peace with Armenia is on the horizon. It is a new era for Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, for the South Caucasus, but also for Europe.  But we cannot be complacent: the Peace agreement has been initialed but not signed; borders remain closed; TRIPP is ambitious but remains an idea; and there are spoilers who want to turn the clock back. We must not allow them, and in this Europe and Azerbaijan must work together. Europe’ vanguard organization is the European Union – it is a free union of 27 member states; it is a strong global economic force, and increasingly a diplomatic and military force too. But it remains “work in progress” and can often appear dysfunctional. It often lacks collective and institutional memory. In its dealings with Azerbaijan the EU has made many mistakes – not least opening the delegation here late – in 2008. It sometimes appears condescending. Some utterances from the European Parliament and from some quarters in some member states are not understandable even for me. They irritate the Azerbaijanis, but serve no other purpose But Azerbaijan has also not handled relations with the EU well. It has failed to respond when the hand of friendship reached out; and it confused irritating actions, sometimes by well-meaning people; sometimes by outright spoilers, with strategic action. In short, EU-Azerbaijan relations have suffered from a lack of proper dialogue. This dialogue must be frank, honest and multi-faceted involving different segments of society on both sides.   Is Azerbaijan Europe? When Azerbaijan applied to join the Council of Europe in the 1990s, there were some who opposed, saying this was not Europe. I was one of the people who argued that Armenia and Azerbaijan may be on the periphery of the continent geographically, but were European in essence. Certainly their elites. During the discussion on 4 September in Baku, my friend Farhad Mammedov, mentioned that Azerbaijan is not interested in joining the EU, and was now close to the Central Asian countries in the 5 plus 1 format. Neither things mean that Azerbaijan is not Europe. There are several European countries that are not in the EU, and do not want to be, for example Norway and Switzerland. Iceland has recently voted to stay out of the EU. The UK was a member and left. Europe is bigger than the EU, and the holding of the European Political Community summit in Baku in 2027 proves that. Despite all the rhetoric, I never heard the president of Azerbaijan  saying that Azerbaijan is not Europe, nor have I heard any European president say it either. Not wanting to join the EU and forging close relations with neighbouring regions does not make Azerbaijan any less European. It is only logical that when Europeans talk to Azerbaijan they talk like family. The conversation is often frank. It must also be honest, and Europeans need always to remember this too. A frank, honest and multi-faceted dialogue A frank, honest and multifaceted dialogue will contribute to relations between Azerbaijan and the rest of Europe: it will avoid misperception, which unfortunately is very common on both sides; it will provide a forum where problems can be discussed and resolved, and it will increase mutual trust, so that together common problems can be addressed. (click image to read the full Monday Commentary)

Europe and Azerbaijan Seek a New Foundation for Relations — Between Gas, Peace and Human Rights (click image to read the full analysis)

The 4th International Mine Action Conference, was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 2-3 September 2026. It was organised by the Azerbaijani national agency for humanitarian demining, ANAMA, and the United Nations. The Head of the European Union Delegation in Baku, Ambassador Marijana Kujundzic addressed the conference on 3 September, and reaffirmed the determination of the European Union to work globally for the eradication of landmine contamination. She said, "mine action is about far more than clearing contaminated land. It is about creating the conditions for people to return, for homes and public infrastructure to be rebuilt, and for communities to recover a sense of normality, stability and hope" The title — “Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements” — captures both the urgency of the task and the level of ambition required to meet it. It reminds us of a fundamental truth: urban recovery cannot begin where land is unsafe, where infrastructure is contaminated, and where communities cannot return with confidence. Humanitarian demining is therefore not only a security imperative, but also a precondition for recovery, reconstruction and human dignity. I know from my own country’s experience that mine action is about far more than clearing contaminated land. It is about creating the conditions for people to return, for homes and public infrastructure to be rebuilt, and for communities to recover a sense of normality, stability and hope. Croatia’s experience has shown that mine action and reconstruction must go hand in hand. Recovery is most effective when it is guided by long-term planning, strong institutions and, above all, the needs of affected communities. In Azerbaijan, this reality is especially visible. The EU recognises and praises Azerbaijan’s major efforts on the ground, especially the work led by ANAMA and all operational actors involved in surveying, clearing, educating, and assisting affected communities. We are proud to stand with Azerbaijan in this effort. This is why the conference theme is so timely. If we speak of urban recovery, we must also speak of standards. If we speak of safe settlements, we must also speak of excellence. A settlement is not safe simply because explosive hazards have been removed. A settlement is safe when: families can return without fear; children can walk to school securely; public services can function again; reconstruction can proceed according to clear standards; and communities can rebuild their lives with confidence in the future. (read her remarks to the conference in full by clicking the picture).

On Thursday (3 September), in an important speech to the 4th International Mine Action Conference, organised in Baku by ANAMA and the United Nations, Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, Representative of the President of Azerbaijan on special assignments, spoke about the importance of mine action in the wider context of peace, with particular reference to the South Caucasus. He said: "Azerbaijan and Armenia have a unique opportunity to turn a page. The political process has created the conditions for a different South Caucasus — one based on peace, connectivity, economic cooperation and good-neighbourly relations. But if we want peace to be sustainable, durable and irreversible, we must remove the remnants of war both from the ground and from existing political and legal framework. Because:  above all, peace needs the next generation to inherit a landscape without mines – both beneath the ground and in our discourse. So the idea is to turn mine action from a legacy of war into an instrument of peace. Jointly, we can accelerate this. And let us make sure that, when we speak about peace in the South Caucasus, we are not speaking only about the absence of war. Let us make peace something people can walk on, live on, build on — and pass on to their children". (click the image to read the speech in full)