The ninth summit of the European Political Community (EPC) has opened in Dublin.
Held at the Convention Centre Dublin, with representatives of around 50 countries in attendance, this year’s summit is themed “Europe: Strong, Secure and Connected”. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is taking part in the event.
The European Political Community was established in October 2022, when Prague hosted the first EPC summit, bringing together the leaders of 44 countries. The stated objectives of the new format were to expand political dialogue and cooperation, strengthen security, stability and prosperity across the European continent, and facilitate exchanges between European Union and non-EU countries. The EPC is not an international organisation, but rather a platform for meetings and discussions on pressing issues facing Europe and the wider world.
The initiative to establish the European Political Community came from French President Emmanuel Macron. In 2022, France held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union during the first half of the year, and Macron proposed the initiative on 9 May, towards the end of the French presidency. It was intended to mark a major achievement of the French presidency. This time, Macron’s proposal proved particularly timely, as new geopolitical realities called for fresh approaches and recognition that Europe’s future is shaped not only within the European Union.
At a time when existing international and European institutions had increasingly become forums for advancing the interests of individual countries and political circles, there was a need for a format with a broader geographical scope and a less rigid approach – one more closely aligned with political realities. After all, addressing Europe’s challenges without the participation of countries such as Azerbaijan has become increasingly difficult.
Source: Facebook
Under the new geopolitical circumstances, Azerbaijan enjoys several important advantages, including its strategic geographical location, stability, good relations with its neighbours and the capacity to facilitate projects of continental significance.
Azerbaijan was invited to participate in the new platform from the very outset of the EPC. At the invitation of then European Council President Charles Michel, President Ilham Aliyev attended the first summit, which opened in Prague on 6 October 2022.
It is worth noting that President Ilham Aliyev has consistently used the European Political Community platform to address important issues. Although the EPC is not designed to adopt binding decisions or sign agreements, every opportunity for meetings and discussions is valuable. At the Prague summit, for instance, Armenia reaffirmed its recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. In a statement issued following the meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, attended by Charles Michel and Emmanuel Macron, the parties reaffirmed their commitment to the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.
Responding to journalists on the sidelines of the summit to a question about Yerevan’s proposal to launch direct dialogue between Baku and representatives of the Armenian population of Karabakh, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan’s position remained unchanged and that no negotiations would be held with illegitimate structures. This was a strong message to the separatists, who chose to ignore it, only to face the consequences a year later, when separatism on Azerbaijani territory was brought to an end.
During the Prague discussions, an agreement was reached to deploy an EU civilian mission along the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev subsequently noted that Baku had initially agreed to the mission on the condition that its mandate be limited to two months and that its operations be confined exclusively to Armenian territory. However, the mission’s mandate was subsequently expanded and its presence along the border extended without Baku’s consent.
It should be recalled that the EU decided to deploy the mission following the escalation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in September 2022. Thanks to Baku’s firm position, the mission was deployed in the autumn of that year exclusively on Armenian territory. Over the years, however, the mission appeared to devote more attention to monitoring developments in Azerbaijan than to events in Armenia. But that is another matter.
Azerbaijan’s participation in the EPC platform helped strengthen the country’s position as a guarantor of energy security for its European partners and as an indispensable transport and logistics hub. Baku has used the European Political Community summits as an instrument for consolidating its standing across Europe.
At the second EPC summit, held in Moldova in June 2023, President Ilham Aliyev held a number of important meetings and talks. These included discussions with Nikol Pashinyan, Charles Michel, Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The Azerbaijani president did not attend the third EPC summit in Granada in October 2023 in response to what Baku regarded as biased criticism of its anti-terrorist operation, which was carried out in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and aimed at restoring Azerbaijan’s full sovereignty over all its territories. The actions of the Azerbaijani side were entirely lawful and consistent with international law, as well as with the rights of the state under the provisions of the UN Charter.
Following the international pressure on Baku over the actions of environmental activists on the Lachin road, which had continued since December 2022, many believed that relations between Azerbaijan and the European Union would never recover.
Nevertheless, just a year later, in July 2024, President Ilham Aliyev attended the next EPC summit at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, the United Kingdom, where he spoke at a roundtable on “Energy and Transport Connectivity”. The Azerbaijani leader participated not merely as one of the attendees, but as the head of a state of critical importance to Europe amid major transformations across Eurasia.
President Ilham Aliyev did not attend the fifth EPC summit, held in Budapest in November 2024, due to important national events and other prior commitments. The summit was scheduled to open on 7 November. On 5–6 November, President Aliyev was in Bishkek for the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States, while celebrations and events marking Victory Day were scheduled for 8 November. Victory Day is an occasion on which the Azerbaijani president is invariably present in the country. Moreover, the president has his own working schedule, with events in Azerbaijan taking priority.
It is worth recalling that earlier this year he also missed the OTS summit in Ankara because of his scheduled participation in the award ceremony for the finalists of the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival, held in Baku.
The sixth EPC summit took place in Tirana, Albania. President Aliyev attended the event and held a number of important meetings on its sidelines. In particular, he took part in a trilateral meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa. The discussions focused on energy cooperation, with Baku’s support receiving high praise at a time when Europe was facing major energy challenges. The parties also discussed Azerbaijan’s role in developing the Middle Corridor and its potential as a platform for dialogue between different parties in support of peace and security.
Source: AZERTAC
As President Aliyev later explained in his video address to the EPC summit in Yerevan on 4 May 2026, it was during the meeting in Tirana that António Costa and Ursula von der Leyen asked for his views on holding the next EPC summit in Armenia. He supported the initiative but proposed that one of the subsequent summits be held in Azerbaijan to maintain a balance. This is how the decision was made to hold the 12th EPC summit in Baku in May 2028.
Baku and Yerevan supported each other’s bids. This was confirmed at the European Political Community summit held in Copenhagen in October 2025.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that President Ilham Aliyev’s video address to the EPC summit in Yerevan became the most prominent event of the gathering. It marked the first time that the Azerbaijani head of state had participated in a high-level event hosted in Armenia and reflected the progress achieved in the peace process and the normalisation of relations between the two countries.
In his address, the president spoke about the peace process with Armenia and what he described as the bias of certain European institutions. He also used the platform to reiterate that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is no less important than that of any other state and criticised the double standards applied by certain European institutions in their approach to the peace process.
Azerbaijan is now preparing to host the next European Political Community summit in May 2027.
The Baku summit was bound to take place sooner or later, regardless of the plans concerning Armenia. Its organisation was inevitable, as Azerbaijan has emerged over the years since the first summit as a significant regional player whose interests and position cannot be overlooked.
The summit in Baku will undoubtedly be at the centre of the European political agenda. More importantly, it will provide an opportunity for participants to see for themselves that the points President Aliyev has consistently made in his meetings and public addresses reflect the new realities of the South Caucasus.
By Tural Heybatov
