The day before, the European Union finally responded to Baku’s demand for aid to the countries of the region on the basis of parity, and allocated 2 billion euros to Azerbaijan within the framework of the financial economic plan.
Thus the controversy that arose last year, when Brussels announced 2 billion euros aid to Armenia and 150 million euros to Azerbaijan, was resolved. The dual approach shown by the European Union caused justified dissatisfaction in Baku, and it was expressed more than once, including at the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels in December and during the visits of EU representatives at the highest level to Azerbaijan.
Indeed, it was Azerbaijan that suffered the most serious losses during the Patriotic War. Even earlier, during the 30-year-old Armenian aggression and occupation, the EU allocated much less funds to Azerbaijan. Brussels explained its approach by saying that Azerbaijan is a wealthy country that can solve its problems without outside help.
The EU has now changed its position, taking into account Baku’s convincing and fair arguments. The desire to maintain good relations with Azerbaijan also played a role against the backdrop of negotiations to increase gas supplies to Europe, which is suffering from an energy crisis.
A noteworthy detail is that the new decision was announced by European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Policy, Olivér Várhelyi, at a meeting with Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, which took place on the eve of the VIII meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council. This shows the seriousness and durability of the EU’s new course.
Let us add that Armenia's reaction to this success of Baku's diplomacy turned out to be very sharp. It is possible that the act of Brussels will help Yerevan to realize the new realities that have arisen in the region after the war.
