Gas, Guilt, and Grandstanding in the Caucasus

The European Parliament has long maintained a uniquely inflated talent for lecturing foreign nations on political morality while remaining blissfully unburdened by local realities. The latest theater for this parliamentary posturing is the South Caucasus, where delicate regional stability is being constructed on realpolitik rather than moralizing declarations from Strasbourg.

Speaking at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy advisor to Azerbaijan’s president, delivered a biting appraisal of Western intervention. In his view, the European Parliament has chosen to act as part of the regional problem rather than any credible solution. While European lawmakers adopt resolutions that draw ideological dividing lines, Baku is attempting to navigate a tenuous peace process with Yerevan following decades of conflict over Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

Hajiyev warned that revanchist forces within Armenia and its global diaspora continue to obstruct genuine reconciliation. He argued that the government in Yerevan must take active responsibility for preparing its own population for peace, noting that securing a lasting diplomatic settlement is an uphill struggle compared to victory on the battlefield.

Addressing persistent European anxiety regarding religious sites, Hajiyev defended Azerbaijan's historic tradition of multi-faith coexistence. Christianity, he reminded his audience, took official root in the region as early as the fourth century under the Caucasian Kingdom of Albania. He affirmed that Baku considers Christian monuments within its sovereign borders to be an integral part of its own national heritage, alongside its Islamic and Jewish sites. Armenian church authorities continue to claim that Baku is destroying historical churches in Karabakh—an allegation Azerbaijan rejects while pointing to the historical destruction of its own mosques during decades of occupation.

The true contradiction, however, lies in Brussels' double standard. While parliamentary delegates indulge in performative scolding, no fewer than 16 European nations rely directly on Azerbaijani gas supplies to secure their energy needs.

Rather than constructing new divisions, Hajiyev urged European institutions to adopt a balanced approach that encompasses the entire South Caucasus. With major regional trade infrastructure like the Middle Corridor connectivity project on the table, practical economic cooperation offers a far more useful framework than moral grandstanding. Whether European bureaucrats possess the capacity to prioritize pragmatism over pontification remains an open question.

Written by Andreas Hofer andreas.hofer@alpineweekly.com