As Azerbaijan pushes forward with its peace agenda and reconstruction efforts, recently, a striking imbalance has recently emerged in the international response, particularly from Europe. During the years of occupation, the European Union and various European organisations regularly introduced peacebuilding programs, civil society initiatives, and grant-based projects, many of which ultimately helped maintain the existing status quo rather than resolve the conflict. Yet now, in a period when Azerbaijan has restored its sovereignty, opened the path for normalisation with Armenia, and is addressing the immense humanitarian and infrastructural consequences of occupation, Europe’s involvement has sharply declined.

Azerbaijan today finances almost the entirety of its demining operations alone, despite more than 20 per cent of its territory being left in ruins and heavily contaminated with landmines and unexploded ordnance. Only a handful of states, such as Uzbekistan and Pakistan, have provided meaningful assistance. Europe, which once showed sustained interest and even competition in peace initiatives during the conflict, now demonstrates near-total passivity. This is particularly evident when contrasted with the EU’s vigorous political, financial, humanitarian, and reconstruction support........

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