Europe is accused of soft on Azerbaijan to avoid buying Russian gas

When a young activist of Peace was imprisoned last month for 15 years for a high betrayal in Azerbaijan, his friends’ wrath was sent mainly to the European Union, ahead of the government who put him behind bars.

A 30-year-old graduate student Bahrus Samadova faces one of the most stringent proposals to have ever criticized the 21-year rule of President Ilham Aliyev. He rejects the charge of making.

The EU “can continue to flirt from Baku, but silence has its expenses,” one critic complained.

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

At this time, Aliyev resumed control over the Karabakh region, causing the outcome of the entire Armenian population; He also provided the fifth in a row in the election, which widely criticized the monitors, and was angry with the opposition and freedom of the press.

A European Parliament called on the EU last year Impose sanctions on the side and stop dependence on Azerbaijan’s gas export. However, top officials of foreign policy avoid publicly criticized by Aliyev.

When Kaj Kalas, the EU’s main diplomat, visited Baku in April, she was strongly criticized by Aliyev’s opponents for emphasizing the “great potential” for the EU Azerbaijan’s connection, and at least 21 leading journalists were detained.

Aliyev justified the arrest of journalists the need to “defend the media -lendson from external negative influences”, accusing journalists of “illegal financing from the border”.

He has also long been accused by international organizations of prejudice and intervening in domestic politics, and the Red Cross International Committee, the Red Cross International Committee and the BBC was ordered to close.

EU policy essentially takes into account Aliyev’s “free hand”, says Eldar Mamemel, a former Latvian diplomat who held the post of adviser on foreign policy of the Social Democrats of the European Parliament.

“Repressions, arrests of dissidents, bloggers and opposition votes have long been tense of Baku-Brussels,” he said at the BBC. “Since Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, this issue has practically disappeared from the agenda.”

The European Union rejects the accusation.

“(EU) are concerned about the cuts of the civil space in (Azerbaijan),” the BBC press said and called on the side “to release all arbitrarily detainees to exercise their fundamental rights.”

“The EU has consistently caused its problems at all levels, both in public and in private,” including during Kaj Kalas’s visit, he added.

The EU wants to diversify where it gets gas to avoid depending on one supplier, such as Russia.

Azerbaijan is far from what is the biggest player because its total share of natural gas in the EU remains modest 4.3%Despite their belonging to stocks.

But in some member countries, the proportion is much higher related to 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 makes it difficult for the EU to represent the united front, according to the senior European diplomat, which acted on the condition of anonymity.

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

The authorities will not enter Europe without Azerbaijan’s gas, but this is not the case, says Benjamin Godvin, a risk analyst specializing in the Caucasus and Central Asia.

“The EU strategy is to have as much gas as possible,” he says. “Although it does not depend on the gas gas, it would like to have more gas from Azerbaijan to eventually reduce its dependence on Russia.”

This energy partnership “does not change our position on the human rights situation in Azerbaijan,” the EU press secretary said.

President Aliyev has other benefits for Europe except gas.

He consistently supported Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the context of Russia’s invasion – a rare position among the former Soviet states seeing the Kremlin as allies.

Despite the fact that Azerbaijan did not impose sanctions on Russia, it provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid.

In recent months, Baku’s relations with Moscow have been plunged.

Azerbaijani Airlines crashed with a loss of 38 lives last December – obviously shot down by a Russian anti -aircraft missile.

Then the crisis deepened after the death of two Azerbaijani men in Russian police care.

Experts say that openly displacing Russia, Aliyev sought to take on a greater role in the region where Moscow traditionally prevails. But he also represents himself in the West as an enemy of Vladimir Putin.

“Azerbaijan paid attention to his pocket, and they played it pretty well. They see that all parties want to be friends with them, and they use it in all directions,” the senior EU diplomat said.

Another well -positioned European diplomat said: “We are absolutely not satisfied (human rights records Azerbaijan), but we can’t do much.”

If last month seven Azerbaijani said it was a “disturbing development” and called for “immediate steps to provide a safe and favorable environment for all journalists.”

By this time, the EU was silent on the Bahrus Samadava prison for his betrayal. But his friends say he recently tried to take his life and fear for his safety.