Ursula von der Leyen's Azerbaijan visit spotlights EU human‑rights concerns and energy strategy

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Baku on 1 July for a two‑day tour that also included Yerevan. During the visit, Mounir Satouri, chair of the European Parliament’s Sub‑Committee on Human Rights, warned that Azerbaijan ranks among the world’s worst offenders on civil liberties, citing more than 300 political prisoners, repression of independent media, NGOs and opposition figures, and reports of torture.

The trip is also framed as a geopolitical push to secure alternative gas supplies and reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy. Azerbaijan is a key partner in the South Gas Corridor linking the Caspian Sea to Europe via Georgia and Turkey, while Armenia, after its 2023 defeat in Nagorno‑Karabakh, is being drawn into the EU’s neighbourhood policy and transport networks. EU aid packages, support for private sectors and the reopening of the Turkish–Armenian border are part of the broader strategy to anchor both Caucasus states in the European orbit and stabilise regional energy markets, with downstream effects on European gas prices and inflation.