Armenia Files - Part 3
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July 18 2022. The EU signed an energy deal with Azerbaijan. Von der Leyen called it a reliable partner. Thirteen months later: the offensive.
On July 18 2022, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. Von der Leyen stated that Azerbaijan is a crucial energy partner that has always been reliable. The MOU committed to doubling the Southern Gas Corridor capacity to 20 billion cubic metres per year by 2027. On September 19 2023, thirteen months later, Azerbaijan launched its military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh. The European Parliament voted 491 to 9 to condemn it and called the situation ethnic cleansing. The EU Council imposed no sanctions. The energy agreement remained in force.
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Southern Gas Corridor · MOU July 18 2022 · 8 bcm to 20 bcm by 2027 · Azerbaijan replacing Russia02 / 07
The Southern Gas Corridor. 8 billion cubic metres per year. MOU signed July 18 2022: expand to 20 billion by 2027.
The Southern Gas Corridor is a pipeline system running from Azerbaijan through Georgia and Turkey into Europe via the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. It has been operational since 2020. In July 2022 it was delivering approximately 8.1 billion cubic metres of gas per year to the EU. The MOU signed on July 18 2022 committed Azerbaijan and the EU to expanding that capacity to 12 billion cubic metres in 2023 and 20 billion cubic metres per year by 2027. IEA, EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation, February 2023.
The context for the deal was Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent disruption to European gas supplies. The European Commission stated ahead of the visit that amid Russia's continued weaponisation of its energy supplies, diversification of energy imports is a priority for the EU. Azerbaijan was positioned as the primary alternative to Russian gas via the Southern Gas Corridor route. Al Jazeera, July 18 2022. The blockade of the Lachin corridor had not yet begun. That started December 12 2022, five months after the deal.
Source: IEA, EU-Azerbaijan energy cooperation, February 2023 · European Commission MOU, July 18 2022 · Al Jazeera, July 18 2022
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Von der Leyen statement July 18 2022 · Reliable partner · On camera · On the public record03 / 07
The MOU. Signed Baku. July 18 2022. A strategic partnership in the field of energy. Thirteen months before the offensive.
Von der Leyen's statement at the signing ceremony in Baku on July 18 2022 is published in full on the European Commission website at enlargement.ec.europa.eu. She stated: The European Union has therefore decided to diversify away from Russia and to turn towards more reliable, trustworthy partners. And I am glad to count Azerbaijan among them. You are indeed a crucial energy partner for us and you have always been reliable. The statement also refers to Azerbaijan as having tremendous potential in renewable energy and envisions it evolving from a fossil fuel supplier to a very reliable and prominent renewable energy partner. European Commission, enlargement.ec.europa.eu, July 18 2022.
The European Parliament's own resolution of October 5 2023, adopted after the offensive, noted in its recital that the Commission had signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the EU and Azerbaijan on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy in July 2022 to double imports of Azeri natural gas to the EU by 2027. The resolution referenced this fact while simultaneously calling on the Commission to reconsider the strategic energy partnership in light of Azerbaijan's violations. European Parliament B9-0399/2023, October 2023.
Source: European Commission statement July 18 2022, enlargement.ec.europa.eu · European Parliament B9-0399/2023, October 2023
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February 22 2023 · ICJ binding order · Lachin corridor · Seven months after the deal · Ignored04 / 07
The energy deal signed July 2022. The ICJ binding order on the Lachin corridor came February 22 2023. Seven months later. Azerbaijan ignored it.
The sequence is documented. July 18 2022: EU signs energy MOU with Azerbaijan in Baku. December 12 2022: Azerbaijan begins the Lachin corridor blockade. February 22 2023: ICJ issues a near-unanimous binding order requiring Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin corridor. The EU does not impose sanctions in response to the non-compliance. The energy agreement signed five months before the blockade began remains in force throughout the nine months the ICJ order is ignored.
The European Parliament resolution of October 5 2023 explicitly documented the sequence and called the two things incompatible. Its resolution B9-0397/2023 stated that developing such a strategic partnership is incompatible with the objectives of EU foreign policy as defined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union, given Azerbaijan's violations of its international commitments including binding provisions under international law. The resolution called for targeted sanctions. No sanctions were imposed by the EU Council. European Parliament B9-0397/2023, October 2023.
Source: European Parliament B9-0397/2023, October 2023, europarl.europa.eu · ICJ Order February 22 2023 · European Commission MOU July 18 2022
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European Parliament · October 5 2023 · 491 to 9 · Ethnic cleansing · Called for sanctions · Council did not act05 / 07
October 5 2023. European Parliament voted 491 to 9. Condemned Azerbaijan's attack. Called it ethnic cleansing. Called for sanctions. The Council did not act.
The European Parliament adopted its resolution RC-B9-0393/2023 on October 5 2023 by 491 votes in favour, 9 against, and 36 abstentions. The text condemned in the strongest terms the pre-planned and unjustified military attack by Azerbaijan. It considered that the current situation amounts to ethnic cleansing. It called on the Council to impose targeted and individual sanctions against responsible Azerbaijani authorities and called on the Commission to quickly reconsider the strategic partnership with Azerbaijan in the field of energy. European Parliament, europarl.europa.eu, October 5 2023.
The EU Council, which is the body with the power to impose sanctions, did not adopt sanctions against Azerbaijan following the offensive. The Southern Gas Corridor energy agreement remained in force. In February 2024, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson traveled to Baku for the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council, describing it as a key opportunity to discuss the capacity expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor. European Commission energy.ec.europa.eu, February 29 2024.
Source: European Parliament RC-B9-0393/2023, October 5 2023, europarl.europa.eu · European Commission, energy.ec.europa.eu, February 29 2024
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Parliament voted. Council did not act. Energy deal continued. Azerbaijan severed EP ties May 2026.06 / 07
The Parliament voted. The Council did not act. The energy deal signed thirteen months before the offensive remained in force.
The gap between the European Parliament's condemnation and the EU Council's inaction is documented. The Parliament is the directly elected body. The Council represents member state governments. Sanctions are imposed by the Council, not the Parliament. The Parliament's October 2023 resolution calling for targeted sanctions against Azerbaijan had no binding effect. The energy agreement continued. The EUAA documented in June 2025 that the EU-Azerbaijan energy relationship remained a strategic priority.
In May 2026, Azerbaijan severed ties with the European Parliament following EP resolutions calling for the right of return for Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and the release of Armenian prisoners held by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan's parliament voted to suspend cooperation with the EP. The Southern Gas Corridor continued to operate. The energy dependency documented in the July 2022 MOU remained the structural context of EU-Azerbaijan relations throughout this period. OC Media, May 2026.
Source: European Parliament B9-0397/2023 · OC Media, Azerbaijan severs EP ties, May 2026 · European Commission, energy.ec.europa.eu
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The question. Not a claim. Series final tomorrow.07 / 07
July 18 2022: EU signs energy deal with Azerbaijan. Von der Leyen calls it reliable. February 22 2023: ICJ orders Lachin open. September 19 2023: the offensive. October 5 2023: Parliament condemns it 491 to 9. The Council imposes no sanctions. When the energy deal is signed first, what does the silence after tell us about the hierarchy of values?
Tomorrow: the final episode. The Armenia Files close not with Armenia alone. The ICJ order ignored. The Yemen GEE terminated. Sudan blocked. Three conflicts. Three documented institutional failures. One question: what is the system actually for? Series final.
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