The European Union is seeking to strengthen its strategic partnership with Azerbaijan as instability in the Middle East places renewed pressure on energy security, transport links and regional diplomacy.
During a visit to Baku on Wednesday, European Council President António Costa said the EU was ready to mobilise private investment and financing to support Azerbaijan’s energy transition, while also encouraging greater involvement by European clean-technology companies. He made the remarks after talks with President Ilham Aliyev, describing Azerbaijan as a key partner for the bloc at a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty.
Costa said Brussels and Baku were now working on a new framework for closer cooperation, intended to widen relations beyond their existing energy links. According to his statement, the proposed framework would cover security, energy, digital development and transport, while also keeping existing dialogue mechanisms in place, including those on human rights. He added that the two sides were also exploring ways to deepen cooperation in defence and security.
Energy security remains at the centre of the relationship. Costa said Azerbaijan had played an important role in the EU’s effort to diversify away from Russian fossil fuels since the European Council’s March 2022 decision in Versailles to broaden supply sources for gas, oil and coal. He pointed to the Southern Gas Corridor as a central part of that strategy.
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His comments come as the conflict involving Iran continues to unsettle global energy markets. Costa said that, with war in Iran shaking international markets, the EU’s energy partnership with Azerbaijan had become “more important than ever”. The language suggests that Brussels sees Azerbaijan not only as an existing supplier, but as a state whose role could expand if the regional crisis persists and market volatility deepens.
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The EU-Azerbaijan energy relationship has developed markedly since July 2022, when the European Commission and Baku signed a memorandum of understanding on a strategic partnership in the field of energy. That agreement envisaged a substantial increase in Azerbaijani gas exports to the EU through the Southern Gas Corridor, with a long-term ambition to raise annual deliveries to 20 billion cubic metres by 2027. Official EU material says Azerbaijani gas supplies to the EU increased by more than 40 per cent between 2021 and 2024. At the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council meeting earlier this month, the European Commission said Azerbaijan and SOCAR had supplied 12.5 billion cubic metres of gas to EU member states in 2025, up 53.8 per cent from 2021 levels.
At the same time, Brussels is framing the next stage of cooperation in broader terms than gas imports alone. Costa’s reference to supporting Azerbaijan’s “energy transition” indicates that the EU wants future cooperation to include low-carbon investment as well as conventional supply security. His call for more involvement by European clean-tech companies points to possible projects in renewable power, grid modernisation and associated infrastructure.
Transport connectivity is also emerging as a major component of the relationship. Costa said the development of the so-called Middle Corridor represented a strategic opportunity for new transport links between Europe and Asia. He specifically highlighted the importance of completing the Baku-Nakhichevan rail connection, arguing that improved transport resilience could support trade, employment and growth. The corridor has gained increasing importance as Europe and regional states seek alternative east-west routes that bypass both Russia and conflict-affected zones.
The visit took place against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in Azerbaijan-Iran relations. On 5 March, Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said Iranian armed forces had carried out drone attacks from Iranian territory against Nakhchivan International Airport and other civilian infrastructure in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The ministry said the technical characteristics of the unmanned aerial vehicles and details of the attack were still under investigation, but stated that Iran bore full responsibility.
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Aliyev responded by convening Azerbaijan’s Security Council the same day. In remarks published by the presidential office, he described the strike as a terrorist act committed by Iran against Azerbaijani territory, saying civilian sites including the airport terminal and a school had been targeted. He said Azerbaijan would not leave the attack unanswered and that its armed forces had been instructed to prepare retaliatory measures.
Costa also thanked Azerbaijan for assisting in the safe repatriation of European citizens from Iran, a sign that the regional crisis has already created practical consular and security cooperation between Baku and Brussels.
For the EU, the message from Baku was clear: in a period of heightened regional conflict, Azerbaijan is being treated not simply as an external gas supplier, but as a broader strategic partner in energy, transport and security. Whether that emerging framework leads to concrete new investment and deeper political alignment will now depend on how far both sides are prepared to translate their shared interests into long-term commitments.
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