AZERBAIJAN: EU TAKING NOTE OF BAKU’S STRENGTH
By Ahto Lobjakas

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
Nov 7 2006

Aliyev (left) is greeted by EU foreign-policy chief Javier Solana in
Brussels today

BRUSSELS, November 7, 2006 (RFE/RL) — A visit to EU headquarters by
a confident Azerbaijani president on November 7 marked a new stage
in the relationship between the two sides.

EU officials in Brussels were left clearly impressed by President
Ilham Aliyev’s record — even if they do stress it is marred by
democratic shortcomings.

Azerbaijan owes much of the respect it is winning in the EU to its
huge oil and gas deposits — but not all of it.

The only blemish on the EU-Azerbaijani relationship remains Baku’s
conspicuously weak democratic record.It is also increasingly seen
in Brussels as a rare example regional example of a country able to
put its strengths to good use. Its economy is growing at what one EU
official today described as a "phenomenal rate."

Balanced Approach

The country has a good relationship with Russia, but is seeking to
establish a balance by securing good ties with the EU and the United
States. Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh
remains a problem, but does not appear to hinder its foreign-policy
objectives.

This was the backdrop to EU foreign-policy chief Javier Solana’s
description of Azerbaijan as an "important country in an important
region" after his meeting today in Brussels with the country’s
president, Ilham Aliyev.

"We want very much to deepen our bilateral relationship with
Azerbaijan, not only in the field of energy — which is important.

But Azerbaijan is not only a producer of energy, it’s an important
country [in] an important region, with which we want to have a deep
relationship." Solana said. "The EU is to sign European Neighborhood
Policy "action plans" with Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia next week
(November 14). The "action plans" set out the priorities for the
countries’ cooperation with the EU and will open, in Solana’s words,
"a new era" in EU-South Caucasus relations.

However, Azerbaijan increasingly stands out in the region. It alone has
been able to give up EU financial aid, which totaled some 400 million
euros before a steep hike in energy revenues made it redundant. Baku
also avoids controversy by speaking in general terms of its wish to
pursue "Euro-Atlantic" integration, while refraining from demanding
EU or NATO membership.

Position Of Strength

As one EU official noted today, Azerbaijan is also able to speak with
Russia from a position of strength without jeopardizing good-neighborly
relations. At the same time, it manages to get along with Georgia at
a time when that country’s relationship with Russia has hit a new low.

Aliyev, who signed a broad energy accord with the European Union today,
was careful to distance himself from more radical voices seeking to
diminish Russia’s dominant role as an EU energy supplier.

The Azerbaijani president promised oil and gas, but indicated that
Baku’s hand will not be forced regarding the selection of transit
routes.

"We never considered our country as any kind of alternative to any
other country [regarding energy supplies]," Aliyev said. "We just did
our job, did what was right for the country, [right] for the region.

And our energy infrastructure today allows us to transport large
volumes of oil and gas to European and international markets."

Azerbaijan is currently exporting oil via Russia and Georgia, and gas
through Georgia. Aliyev today expressed interest in the development
of a Ukrainian-Polish oil pipeline. But along with Russian and Kazakh
authorities he also appeared to link deliveries to a wish to acquire
a stake in European processing facilities and distribution networks.

Not In The Pipeline

Hopes for direct gas links from the Caspian Sea region to the European
Union, on the other hand, appear to be fading. An EU official told
RFE/RL today that the so-called Nabucco pipeline — recently billed
as a major alternative to Russian supplies by transiting gas to
Southeastern Europe via Turkey — was not discussed at the meeting
with Aliyev.

In another bad sign for the future of the alternative pipeline,
Kazakh Foreign Minister Qasymzhomart Toqaev last month told the
European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee that the construction
of a gas link between his country to Azerbaijan via the Caspian Sea
appears increasingly unlikely.Toqaev suggested that Kazakhstan is
content with continuing to use Russian transit facilities.

Another issue on which the EU is keen to cooperate with Azerbaijan is
neighboring Iran. While the EU is seeking to thwart what it fears
are Teheran’s ambitions to build nuclear weapons, Azerbaijan is
seeking backing for its efforts to improve the standing of the up
to 30 million Azeris living in Iran. Aliyev told EU officials today
that Baku is unhappy that the Azeri language is banned from schools
and the media in Iran.

Sore Spot

The only blemish on the EU-Azerbaijani relationship remains Baku’s
conspicuously weak democratic record. Both Solana and the president
of the European Commission, Jose-Manuel Barroso, said after their
respective meetings with Aliyev that they had raised the issue.

But Barroso also highlighted extenuating factors, praising Azerbaijan’s
relative successes. "Let’s not forget that Azerbaijan never had a
democratic state as we consider it in the European Union," he said. "So
Azerbaijan is making efforts [toward] economic and political reform."

Barroso also appeared to suggest that Baku is entitled to some sympathy
and understanding owing to its location.

"Let me tell you that what we are doing is exactly the way to promote
democracy and the rule of law in Azerbaijan," Barroso said. "Today
in the meeting I raised also these issues with the [Azerbaijani]
President Aliyev, and he gave me his analysis and his assessment of
the situation; namely, the situation of a country that is in a very
peculiar region."

Promises Of Reforms

Aliyev himself repeatedly said that a "strong" political system is
needed for a "strong" economy. He also said Azerbaijan and the EU hold
"shared values," and promised political and democratic reforms.

However, in a sign that the EU considers such difficulties to be
relatively minor at this stage, foreign-policy chief Solana announced
after meeting with Aliyev that he will soon be visiting Baku.