EU need for Azerbaijani gas emboldens authoritarian Aliyev
Almost 200 people died over two days, between September 12 and 14, when fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Last week, the two leaders of the belligerent nations sat down with the French President Emmanuel Macron and President of the European Council Charles Michel. The foursome agreed that the EU would send a mission to the border to maintain peace.
After a two-month war in 2020 between Azerbaijan and Armenia, it was Russia that brokered a ceasefire. Since Russia is currently preoccupied, there has been an opening for the EU and the U.S. to play peacemaker.
Although Vladimir Putin may no longer be calling the shots, the consequences of his decision to go to war with Ukraine are reverberating through the region. In July, the EU signed a memorandum with Azerbaijan to double exports of gas to the bloc by 2027, in order to help the EU wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.
The deal has emboldened President Ilham Aliyev to use his newly found leverage to step up a crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan, while the EU looks away.