12/03/2026 – 21:55 GMT+1
As a supplier of gas to the European Union, Azerbaijan has been increasing its deliveries to help fill the gap from the shutdown of the shipments from the Gulf as a result of the Iran war, said Aliyev’s chief foreign policy advisor.
The annual Global Baku Forum opened on Thursday with calls for dialogue to end the Iran war, raging on its doorstep.
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This year’s theme, “Bridging the Divides in a World in Transition,” took on an even greater sense of urgency.
“What is happening now in the world — these hotspots emerging, existing protracted conflicts — this is a threat to the international behavioral structure,” said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in his opening speech of the three-day forum.
“It’s a threat to international law when international law and norms are not respected, when the territorial integrity of countries is violated, and when resolutions of international organisations are ignored,” Aliyev said.
Aliyev also noted the energy security angle, as Iran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf oil countries, driving up the price of oil over $100 a barrel.
“We see that the unprecedented rise of oil and gas prices creates a lot of problems for consumers—and not only for consumers,” said the Azerbaijani president.
“We as a responsible member of the OPEC Plus format are in favor of a balanced and predictable oil price, and our efforts in OPEC Plus, as a mediator and as a country which invested a lot in finding a common solution, are highly appreciated.”
The high price of oil had knock-on effects for Russia’s ongoing all-out war in Ukraine, said former European Council President Charles Michel.
“It is very clear that what is going on today is a gift for Russia because prices are going up on the one hand, because the attention is more focused on the Middle East today and it allows Russia to continue its war of agression,” Michel told Euronews.
“It means that on the EU side we must be lucid. The world is changing very fast and we have in Europe to develop our own capabilities. That’s why I strongly believe in strategic autonomy.”
Baku increasing oil supplies to EU
As a supplier of gas to the EU, Azerbaijan was increasing its deliveries to help fill the gap from the shutdown of the shipments from the Gulf as a result of the Iran war, said Aliyev’s chief foreign policy advisor.
“We are doing our utmost best to increase and add extra capacities,” Hikmet Hajiyev told Euronews.
“But in the meantime, I think that now with our partners, specifically from the European Union, we should look at a broader horizon of the new prospects of the cooperation in the energy field and specifically in the gas field,” he said.
The war risked widening to Azerbaijan after Iranian drones struck the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan last week, including its airport, injuring several people. A phone call between Aliyev and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian appeared to calm tensions after Azerbaijan temporarily closed its border.
Hajiyev said diplomacy will be key to ending the Iran war.
“We are also supporting international communities’ efforts to resolve outstanding issues through dialogue and diplomacy. We are ready to contribute to these negotiations,” said Hajiyev.
“But in the meantime we are concerned and doing all that is necessary to avoid further expansion of the geographies of the conflicts.”
Will the Iran war end soon?
“What is blocking a rapid way out of the conflict is the hard stand on both sides,” said William Wexler of the Atlantic Council think tank.
“There are two ways that this war can end quickly, and neither of them are very likely. First is if Iran blinks, and the second is if (US) President (Donald) Trump blinks,” Wexler told Euronews.
“If Iran is willing to put on the table what President Trump wants to see, which is no domestic (nuclear) enrichment, then this war would be over tomorrow.”
“If President Trump alternatively decides that the price of this war has gotten too high the diplomatic price, the economic price, the political price — then he can always declare victory and stop the war,” Wexler said.
“The problem with that is it doesn’t look very good for the United States. So I don’t believe either of these are likely, not in the near future,“ he concluded.
The Iran war could give more reason to speed up Ukraine’s accession to the EU, said Artis Pabriks, former Latvian defence minister.
“I think it is in our strategic interest for us to as fast as possible integrate Ukraine because Ukraine has the strongest military force that Europe is missing, and this is also the way to show strength because this is the only way we can deal with Russia,” Pabriks told Euronews. “Talks will not work.”
Michel said he was optimistic about finding a way to free up the 27-member bloc’s funding for Ukraine, despite obstruction from Hungary and Slovakia, which depend heavily on gas from Moscow.
“Hungary cannot block aid to Ukraine. They can try, they already tried in the past,” said Michel. “But I am absolutely confident that with political will around the table of the council, my colleagues, my friends, they will find a way to overcome this obstacle.
“It’s not the first time that there are tensions between Ukraine and Hungary, but we have demonstrated in the past that despite those tensions and frictions, it has always been possible to find a solution,” Michel concluded.
