BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 22. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev's visit to Germany on July 20-21 demonstrated that Baku and Berlin have entered a new stage of strategic partnership, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to Garayev, it's no coincidence that the dialogue between Berlin and Baku has taken on a strategic character in recent years, against the backdrop of the rapid changes in the geopolitical landscape both in Europe and in the world, and the emergence of energy security, new transport routes, and regional stability issues.
He said that the documents signed at the end of the visit, the high-level meetings held, and the messages conveyed indicate that relations between the two countries are entering a new stage.
"Within the framework of the visit, President Ilham Aliyev held meetings with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. During the talks with both the head of state and the chancellor, energy security, economic cooperation, the Middle Corridor, the peace process in the South Caucasus, relations with the European Union, and global security issues were widely discussed. This agenda confirms that Baku and Berlin no longer approach relations only within a bilateral framework, but in a broader regional and international context.
The main result of the visit was the signing of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Agenda for Bilateral Partnership between Azerbaijan and Germany by President Ilham Aliyev and Chancellor Friedrich Merz. At the same time, the adoption of the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of the Azerbaijan-Germany Business Council provided a new institutional basis for economic relations.
These documents are not only an expression of political will. They envisage the systematic development of cooperation between the two countries in specific areas, the creation of working groups, and the formation of long-term action mechanisms. This is an important indicator that relations have moved from episodic visits to sustainable strategic cooperation," he noted.
According to him, Azerbaijan has consistently strengthened its role in Europe's energy security in recent years.
"Currently, the country's natural gas is supplied to ten European Union member states. The addition of Germany to this list gives a completely new content to cooperation between Baku and Berlin. President Ilham Aliyev expressed the results achieved in this direction in his press statement: "Starting this year, Azerbaijan has begun exporting its natural gas to Germany. Thus, our gas is currently delivered to 10 European Union member countries, which undoubtedly makes a major contribution to energy security." This statement is not just a statistical indicator. It shows that Azerbaijan's position as a reliable partner in the European energy market is further strengthened. Germany, as the largest economy in the European Union, attaches particular importance to the diversification of energy sources. That is why the entry of Azerbaijani gas into the German market demonstrates the coincidence of the strategic interests of the two countries," he explained.
Garayev pointed out that Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz also clearly expressed the importance of Azerbaijan for Germany.
"He emphasized that Germany intends to further diversify its energy supply, and in this regard, Azerbaijan occupies a special place as a reliable partner. The Chancellor's views on renewable energy, hydrogen, and long-term energy cooperation show that the parties don't intend to limit relations only to existing gas supplies. Along with energy, transport, and logistics issues also became one of the main topics of the negotiations. Against the backdrop of geopolitical changes in recent years, the importance of the Middle Corridor has increased significantly. Azerbaijan, as one of the main links of this route, plays an important role in ensuring reliable connectivity between Europe and Asia. President Ilham Aliyev assessed Azerbaijan's growing role in this direction as follows: "Azerbaijan continues to modernize its transport infrastructure. By becoming a full member of the Central Asian Consultative Meetings format last year, Azerbaijan serves as a bridge between Central Asia and Europe—a role that will steadily expand." This approach is also of great importance for Germany. Germany, one of Europe's leading exporters, is interested in the development of new and safe logistics routes. In this regard, Azerbaijan is not only an energy partner, but also one of the main transit centers on the transport map of Eurasia," Garayev said.
The analyst stressed that regional security issues were also in the spotlight during the visit.
"The German leadership highly appreciated the results achieved in the direction of normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the initialing of the peace agreement a historic event and stated that Germany is ready to support lasting peace in the region. President Ilham Aliyev highlighted the fact that Azerbaijan has already taken concrete practical steps in the post-conflict stage: "Immediately after this agreement, Azerbaijan proceeded to take practical steps. Today, petrol and diesel fuel supplied by Azerbaijan are making a significant contribution to Armenia's energy security." These statements demonstrate that Azerbaijan is trying to contribute to strengthening stability in the region not only with political statements, but also with real economic and humanitarian steps. Germany's support for this process is an indicator of the importance that Europe attaches to long-term stability in the South Caucasus," the analyst said.
According to him, one of the striking aspects of the visit was that relations with the European Union were a separate topic of discussion.
"In light of the visits to Baku in recent months by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the Berlin meetings can be assessed as a continuation of the Azerbaijan-EU dialogue. Given Germany's leading position in the European Union, the development of relations with Berlin also creates additional opportunities for Baku in the direction of Brussels.
Economic cooperation is also entering a new stage. Currently, more than 200 German companies operate in Azerbaijan. The newly established Azerbaijan-Germany Business Council can become an important platform for increasing investments, developing new projects, and expanding direct contacts between business circles. In particular, areas such as green energy, industry, digital technologies, logistics, and infrastructure are considered the main directions of future cooperation," he said.
Garayev noted that President Ilham Aliyev's visit to Germany showed that relations between Baku and Berlin are no longer limited to diplomatic relations and trade turnover.
"Issues such as energy security, transport routes, regional stability, investment cooperation, and the formation of a new geopolitical balance between Europe and Asia are bringing Azerbaijan and Germany closer together.
The signed strategic documents strengthen the legal and political basis of this cooperation. The working groups, business platforms, and new projects to be created in the coming period will determine the practical results of these agreements. Against the background of current geopolitical realities, the expansion of cooperation between Baku and Berlin can be assessed as the beginning of a new stage of partnership not only between the two countries, but also between Europe and the South Caucasus as a whole," the analyst added.
