EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s planned visits to Yerevan and Baku framed the 8th European Political Community summit on 4 May, as European leaders focused on fragile South Caucasus peace efforts and rising geopolitical tensions.
The summit brought together European leaders, NATO officials and international partners.
Discussions centred on broader global security challenges, including the war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and coordination of European defence policy.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the summit as historic. In his opening remarks, he said: “To consider this summit historic for Armenia, not to mention that it is the first European event of this scale ever hosted by Armenia.”
Following the Yerevan discussions, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is set to visit Azerbaijan on 5 May for high-level talks in Baku.
Her agenda includes meetings with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, reflecting the EU’s parallel engagement with both Armenia and Azerbaijan as part of ongoing peace efforts.
President Ilham Aliyev said in a video address to the summit that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is already delivering practical results, including trade flows and new connectivity projects.
“Both Armenia and Azerbaijan already see the practical benefits of peace,” he said, referring to cargo transit and planned infrastructure initiatives such as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
Aliyev also reiterated concerns over international double standards:
“Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has the same value as that of any other country. In this issue, double standards are unacceptable.”
Despite ongoing dialogue, tensions between Baku and European institutions persist. Azerbaijan strongly rejected a recent European Parliament resolution, with Assistant to the President Hikmat Hajiyev calling it a “diplomatic disgrace.”
The country also summoned the EU ambassador, accusing the resolution of bias and interference in internal affairs.
Analysts describe the South Caucasus peace process as entering a sensitive phase, shaped by negotiations, external influence and domestic political developments in Armenia, including upcoming elections.
Following visits by the Latvian and Ukrainian presidents and the Czech prime minister, Baku has attracted increased diplomatic attention amid wider geopolitical shifts linked to the war in Eastern Europe and instability in the Middle East.
Separately, Azerbaijan and Italy reaffirmed strong bilateral ties during high-level talks held in Baku on 4 May.
Ilham Aliyev held both one-on-one and expanded talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with both sides highlighting deepening cooperation.
Energy cooperation continues to play a central role, with 9.5 billion cubic metres of gas exported to Italy last year out of a total of 25 billion cubic metres. Italian officials emphasised the strategic importance of the visit.
"Our political relations are at the highest level. At the same time, our trade relations are also in excellent condition," said Ilham Aliyev.
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At a time when geopolitical tensions continue to ripple across multiple regions, from Ukraine to the Middle East, the South Caucasus once again finds itself at the crossroads of diplomacy and uncertainty.
Türkiye’s Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz is set to visit Armenia in early May to take part in the 8th European Political Community Summit, in what will be the highest-level Turkish visit to the country to date. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is reportedly expected to miss the forum.
The South Caucasus peace process is entering a sensitive phase, shaped not only by negotiations between Baku and Yerevan but also by competing external narratives, lobbying dynamics and shifting geopolitical alignments.
Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis voted on Friday (1 May) to suspend cooperation with the European Parliament across all areas, escalating tensions after lawmakers in Baku accused the chamber of sustained bias.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Iran warned Armerican forces on Monday (4 May) not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. said it had launched a mission to try and reopen the sea passage. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister said there was no military solution to the Middle East conflict.
Medics are working to evacuate two people with symptoms of the deadly respiratory illness, hantavirus, from a luxury cruise ship being held off West Africa, after three people died and several others fell ill, officials have said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to the Vatican and Italy this week for a series of meetings, according to Italian media reports, in a visit that comes amid strained relations between Washington and parts of Europe and heightened tensions involving Pope Leo XIV.
Tensions are escalating in the Gulf after new attacks linked to maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. U.S. forces say they struck Iranian fast boats at sea following hostile manoeuvres, after Iran was blamed for an earlier attack on a UAE oil facility.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has said it is difficult to assess the U.S. response to its proposal, citing Washington’s history of “excessive and unreasonable” demands.
Türkiye and Armenia have agreed to restore the historic Ani Bridge, in a move described as “symbolic and concrete cooperation” by Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz.
At a time when geopolitical tensions continue to ripple across multiple regions, from Ukraine to the Middle East, the South Caucasus once again finds itself at the crossroads of diplomacy and uncertainty.
A court in Sydney is set to review a non-publication order in the case of former Australian SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith, who is accused of war crime murder in Afghanistan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Iraq’s prime minister-designate to form a government which reflects the country’s religious and ethnic diversity.
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