Von der Leyen visits Azerbaijan and Armenia to deepen South Caucasus ties

By Nadira Tudor & Saida Rustamova Published on 30/06/2026 - 14:51 GMT+2•Updated 14:53 Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen begins the first visit to the South Caucasus since Armenia and Azerbaijan signed their historic peace agreement, now offering the EU the opportunities to build on the EU's strategic engagement with the region formerly in Russia's orbit. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is embarking on a strategic visit to the South Caucasus this week to build on the EU’s engagement in the historic peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the opportunities ahead. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT In Yerevan and Baku, von der Leyen is set to convey Brussels' desire to strengthen energy cooperation, trade and regional connectivity for the EU economies as well as show support for Armenia in the face of Russia’s economic onslaught due to Yerevan’s cautious pro-West pivot. The head of the EU executive will visit Baku on Wednesday for talks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, and then Yerevan on Thursday to meet re-elected Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to further develop the EU’s strategic engagement with the two former rivals in the South Caucasus. The European Commission announced that “the visit focuses on four priorities: supporting the peace process after last year's initialling of the historic peace agreement, improving connectivity across the region and with Europe and Central Asia, deepening our economic partnership with the South Caucasus, and supporting Armenia in the face of Russian economic coercion.” Energy and infrastructure on the agenda in Baku This will be von der Leyen’s first visit to Baku since 2022, when the EU and Azerbaijan signed their strategic energy partnership to expand cooperation on natural gas supplies through the Southern Gas Corridor, as the European Union sought to urgently find alternatives to its energy imports following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Von der Leyen’s talks with Aliyev are therefore expected to focus on Azerbaijan expanding its energy supplies to Europe as the main pillar of EU-Azerbaijan relations, as well as cooperation on key regional infrastructure projects that are now crucial for the EU economies. This is also the first visit since Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to make peace after decades of war over Karabakh, in a region formerly in Moscow's orbit. The visit continues the strategic EU political dialogue with the region, following European Council President Antonio Costa’s talks with Aliyev in Azerbaijan's capital back in March, when Costa said that Brussels and Baku were now working on a new framework for closer cooperation on defence, security, and digital developments intended to widen relations beyond the existing energy and key infrastructure links. A total of 16 European countries currently receive Azerbaijani gas, with 10 EU member states among the recipients, and Italy is the top EU importer of Azerbaijani energy, as underscored by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's visit to Baku in May. Strategic alternative route Connectivity is now another key area for EU-Azerbaijan cooperation, with the Middle Corridor emerging as a strategic transit route between Asia and Europe and a strong Eurasian alternative amid global supply chain disruptions in the Middle East. The Middle Corridor, also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), is a transport network connecting China and Southeast Asia through Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia and onwards to Turkey and Europe. Envisioned as a modern version of the ancient Silk Road, it is a strategic opportunity for new, alternative transport connections between Europe and Asia through the South Caucasus, as a network of different roadways, railroads and maritime routes that connects China with the ports of the Black Sea. It starts on the eastern Chinese coast, at the port of Lianyungang, runs through China, with the main hub in the city of Xi’an, and then enters Kazakhstan, from where it branches towards Uzbekistan to the South and the Caspian Sea to the west. Then it turns maritime, connecting to ports in Azerbaijan and Georgia before ending at hubs in Romania, Hungary and Poland. Under the current geopolitical circumstances, it is a vital transit route for goods transport between China and Europe. The Middle Corridor is also about 3,000 kilometres shorter than the Northern Corridor through Russia. European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, who will join Von der Leyen on both visits, launched the EU's new Connectivity Agenda Platform last week, through which the EU will participate in the Middle Corridor projects. Kos outlined the new EU connectivity project, saying it was critical for Europe to make its trade routes and energy more secure, while avoiding the now-unreliable traditional routes. “Take a look at the plane map before and after the start of the recent war in Iran. Almost all planes started passing through the Caucasus. It's through here, the Middle Corridor, that we can secure our trade, energy and digital links,” Kos said, explaining that the Middle Corridor connects Europe and Asia through Turkey and the South Caucasus. The European Commissioner for Enlargement said that “this is the priority for the European Commission, securing our trade, energy and digital links via routes we can trust," setting the stage for the EU leadership’s visit to Baku. A representative to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) at the United Nations Office at Geneva and Azerbaijani political analyst Toghrul Mammadli told Euronews that the European Union remains Azerbaijan’s largest trading partner, accounting for approximately 43% of the country’s total foreign trade. ^ “Energy continues to be the cornerstone of this partnership. In 2025, Azerbaijan exported 12.9 billion cubic metres of natural gas to Europe, representing more than half of its total gas exports, while also supplying around 8% of the EU’s pipeline gas imports. These figures demonstrate Azerbaijan’s growing role as a reliable contributor to Europe’s energy security,” he said. “I believe President von der Leyen’s visit will further strengthen mutual trust and provide fresh momentum for a pragmatic, forward-looking partnership that serves the long-term interests of both Azerbaijan and the European Union,” Mammadli told Euronews ahead of the visit. The new initiatives are now possible after Azerbaijan and Armenia signed their historic peace agreement after almost four decades of a tragic conflict, and are now fully engaged in forging a common economic future for their nations and the region. The Commission president’s visit to both countries carries not just a political message but also the symbolism of the EU now engaging with them within a peace framework, rather than confrontation, for joint economic projects ahead. EU support for Armenia amid Russian pressure Von der Leyen will travel to Yerevan for talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the EU has just rolled out a support package for Armenia to address what the EC called “Russian economic coercion,” and to further develop the strategic EU-Armenia relations after Pashinyan secured a decisive pro-West mandate in the recent elections. “This will be the President’s second visit to Yerevan in two months, following her visit for the European Political Community and the first-ever EU-Armenian summit in May,” the European Commission said in a statement. The European Commission endorsed Pashinyan just days before the crucial elections on 7 June and announced a support package to counter the Russian onslaught of sanctions following Yerevan’s cautious pro-Western, pro-EU turn. Pashinyan carefully balanced Armenia’s approach to Russia in the last days of the election campaign, stating that Armenia’s EU membership bid was “theoretical" at this time. The EC announced at the time a support package of financial assistance and practical measures to support Armenian agri-food trade after Moscow unleashed an economic onslaught, restricting imports of various Armenian fruits, vegetables, flowers, and fish products, as well as wine, brandy and mineral water, while also threatening to cut critical Russian oil and gas supplies to Armenia. Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Add Euronews on Google Read more Israel formally recognises Armenian World War I 'genocide' Von der Leyen to visit Azerbaijan and Armenia to build on EU engagement Von der Leyen to visit Pashinyan in Yerevan to build on Armenia’s pro-EU vote Armenia European Commission European Union Ursula von der Leyen Azerbaijan