Azerbaijan’s support for Ukraine could provide a model for neighbouring countries seeking to strengthen their sovereignty, the director of development at an organisation supporting Ukraine’s armed forces has told AnewZ.
Yulia O’Connell, Director of Development at Dignitas Ukraine, said closer ties between Baku and Kyiv could have wider significance for the region, pointing to Georgia and Armenia as countries that could pursue similar partnerships.
Speaking to AnewZ from Kharkiv, Ukraine, O’Connell said Azerbaijan had taken a more openly supportive position towards Kyiv than Moscow, arguing that Russia’s influence over Baku had weakened as it remained deeply involved in the war in Ukraine.
“Azerbaijan has more openly taken the Ukrainian side than the Russian side. That means that the Russian grip on Azerbaijan is definitely less than it has ever been because Russian hands are tied with Ukraine so deeply.”
O’Connell said Azerbaijan’s partnership with Ukraine was an important step towards strengthening its sovereignty and could serve as an example for other countries in the region.
“This is important not only for Azerbaijan and Ukraine but to show that Armenia, Georgia… should join this type of relationship with Ukraine. With the partnership with Ukraine, it’s a guarantee for their sovereignty, a guarantee that the country can keep its national identity and be stronger.”
Her comments come as Azerbaijan continues to provide assistance to Ukraine’s energy sector.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Energy recently thanked Azerbaijan and other countries for providing energy equipment during the Russia-Ukraine war.
In a post on X, the ministry said Ukraine had received 2,542 humanitarian shipments of energy equipment since March 2022, with a total weight of 32,300 tonnes. Of that, 28,900 tonnes had already been distributed across the country’s regions.
The ministry expressed its gratitude to Azerbaijan and a number of other countries for supporting Ukraine’s energy sector.
Earlier in August, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said the country was ready to supply gas to Ukraine if necessary and was considering the possibility of using Ukraine’s underground gas storage facilities.
Bayramov made the remarks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in Kyiv.
He described energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine as strategic and based on many years of partnership.
“Within the framework of our bilateral energy dialogue, various projects, including opportunities to use existing infrastructure, are regularly discussed. Ukraine’s extensive gas storage capacity and underground storage infrastructure have significant potential,” he said.
Bayramov said Azerbaijan was ready to consider commercially viable opportunities that served the interests of both countries.
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