Europe accused of softery in Azerbaijan to avoid buying Russian gas

When a young peace activist was imprisoned for 15 years to betray Azerbaijan last month, his friends’ anger was directed mainly in the European Union before the government, which placed him behind bars.

Bahruz Samadov, a 30-year-old doctoral student, faces one of the harshest sentences ever given to a critic of President Ilham Aliyev’s 21-year government. He dismissed the charge as crafted.

The EU “can continue to flirt with Baku, but the silence has its price,” a critic complained.

Shortly after the full -scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine in 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declared Azerbaijan a “key partner” in EU efforts to move away from Russian natural gas.

At that time, Aliyev restored control of the detached Karabakh district, causing the explosion of his entire Armenian population; He has also provided the fifth consecutive term of elections widely criticized by monitors and has descended on opposition and freedom of the press.

Thehe The European Parliament called on the EU last year To impose sanctions on Baku and to end the reading of gas exports to Azerbaijan. However, senior foreign policy officials are avoiding the public criticism of Aliyev.

When Kaja Calas, the best EU diplomat, visited Baku in April, she was heavily criticized by Aliyev’s opponents to emphasize the “great potential” for EU-Azerbaijan’s relationships, while at least 21 leading journalists were detained in Baku.

Aliyev justified the arrest of journalists from the need for “protection of the media landscape from external negative influences”, accusing reporters of “illegally receiving funding from abroad”.

He has also been blaming international organizations for biases and interferes with domestic policy, and the UN Bako offices, the International Red Cross Committee and the BBC are ordered to be closed.

EU policy has actually given Aliyev a “free hand”, says Eldar Mamedov, a former Latvian diplomat who was a foreign policy adviser in the Social Democrats group in the European Parliament.

“The repression, arrests of dissidents, bloggers and opposition voices have long strained the relationship between Baku-Brucel,” he told the BBC. “After Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, this issue virtually disappeared from the agenda.”

The European Union rejects the claim.

“(EU) is concerned with the shrinking civil space in Azerbaijan,” a spokesman told the BBC and called Baku “to release all those arbitrarily detained for exercising his fundamental rights.”

“The EU is constantly provoking its concerns at all levels, both in public and in private,” including during the visit of Kaja Kalas to Baku, he added.

The EU wants to diversify where it receives its gas so that it does not depend on a supplier like Russia.

Azerbaijan is far from the biggest player since his total share in the import of natural gas in the EU The modest 4.3% remainsDespite the leg in deliveries.

But the share is much higher in some countries -Member States related to the pipeline of the southern gas corridor from Azerbaijan. Up to 40% of the import of Bulgarian natural gas comes from Azerbaijan, and for Italy and Greece it is 15%.

This impedes the presentation of a United Front, according to a senior European diplomat, which speaks for anonymity.

“Europe in this situation does not have a huge amount of reliable leverage over Azerbaijan,” he said.

Power will not come out in Europe without Azerbaijani gas, but this is not the question, says Benjamin Godwin, a risk analyst specializing in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

“The EU strategy is to have as much gas as much gas as possible,” he says. “And although he does not rely on Azer Gaz, he would like to have more gas than Azerbaijan to ultimately reduce his dependence on Russia.”

This energy partnership “does not change our position on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan,” an EU spokesman told the BBC.

President Aliyev has other benefits to Europe other than gas.

He consistently supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine before the invasion of Russia – a rare position among the former Soviet countries observed by the Kremlin as allies.

Although Azerbaijan did not impose sanctions against Russia, he provided Ukraine humanitarian aid.

Baku’s relationship with Moscow has dived in recent months.

Aserbaijani Airlines plane crashed with the loss of 38 life last December – it was obviously removed by mistake by a Russian air rocket.

The crisis then deepened after the death of two Azerbaijani men in the Russian police detention.

From open challenging Russia, Aliyev strives to take on a bigger role in a region traditionally dominated by Moscow, experts say. But he also introduces himself to the West as an opponent of Vladimir Putin.

“Azerbaijan has focused his attention and they have played it quite well. They see that all countries want to be friends with them and they use it in all directions,” EU senior diplomat told the BBC.

Another well -placed European diplomat said: “We are absolutely pleased with (the Azerbaijani recording of human rights), but we cannot do much.”

When seven Azerbaijani investigative journalists received long prison conditions last month, EU Diplomatic Service (EEAS) said it was “anxious development” And he called for “immediate steps to ensure a safe and allowing environment for all journalists.”

Until now, the EU has remained silent over the term of Bahruz Samadov’s prison for betrayal. But his friends tell him that he has recently tried to take his life and fear for his safety.