The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, according to informed sources, intends to take a dizzying leap of faith and get into the European Parliament. It is important for him to reset his unflattering background. He has accumulated a baggage of debts with regard to the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
By the way, recall that Charles Michel distinguished himself by his incomprehensible indifference in the deadlock of the still ongoing South Caucasus crisis. He failed to cope with his mediation commitments. Despite his position and to the surprise of many, he extended congratulations to Ilham Aliyev on his re-election to the post of President on February 7. There is an element of surprise in his move, if we think back to how the Western political camarilla was preparing to deliver a condemnatory verdict on the election in Azerbaijan.
Michel dared to go the opposite way, which shows that his turn towards common sense was not only dictated by career and opportunistic considerations. Apparently, upon leaving, he decided to rehabilitate himself, to cover up the mess in the mediation he was involved in. Expressing his best wishes to the Azerbaijani leader, the head of the European Council made it clear to official Baku that he was determined to move away from Macron-style diplomacy. In any case, with this step he will at least distance himself from all those who have exposed themselves with their shameful Armenophilia.
Michel’s congratulatory social media post also looks like an act of penance. As they say, small mercies. He said that he had substantive discussions with the Azerbaijani leader on the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and said that he welcomed “Azerbaijan’s commitment to resume the Brussels process trilateral meeting to advance a stable and prosperous South Caucasus.”
Finally, he touched upon the topic of cooperation of the European Union with Azerbaijan, emphasizing the importance of connectivity and energy. The cable-brief message merits some important clarifications. The Azerbaijani leadership has always maintained and continues to maintain a clear position. To accuse Baku of not being previously committed to cooperation on the basis of the Brussels platform is, at the very least, dishonest. Does Michel not know who initiated the peace agenda, who made the first step towards a sustainable and comprehensive peace? Of course, he knows all this.
It is superfluous to talk about the willingness of the Azerbaijani side to cooperate. Since the head of the European Council is encouraged by the position and prospects of the Brussels format, he should work more closely with Irevan. It is Nikol Pashinyan who tirelessly squirms and wriggles, spouting all sorts of heresies about his country’s readiness for peace, while finding more and more reasons to disrupt the process and excuses to militarize his country.
Michel is close to French leader Emmanuel Macron and is aware of his plans to support Armenia. If it is so important to clear the road to peace between Baku and Irevan, the top official from an influential European institution should impress upon the master of the Champs-Elysees the need to stop his incendiary efforts.
Michel is one of the few mediators who knows all the twists and turns of Macron’s antics, which caused paralysis in the peacebuilding process in general and in the Brussels format in particular. If the president of the Fifth Republic is inspired by political bipolarity, the head of the European Council should certainly not repeat the nonsense of the oddball president from the banks of the Seine. It is hard to believe that Michel would not have been able to counter Macron’s crippling actions if he had truly wanted to. He would have been able to calm him down and bring him to his senses. But that never happened. Either the mediator succumbed to provocation, or he simply withdrew himself, honoring European politeness.
In all possible situations and arrangements, it is impossible to live in two worlds. It is possible to bring everyone to a rational denominator if senior politicians had the will and common sense. At a hairpin turn, Michel gave in to the faceless French leader, and this is the big mistake of the President of the European Council. No matter how deeply indifferent to the problems of partners, European officials’ own interests always prevail over other motives. It is common knowledge that Baku is of key importance for the Old Continent. Energy, connectivity and logistics are values that are only comparable to the matter of life and death. Michel realizes that he will be forgiven for the failure of his mediation mission in the Caucasus direction, but not for the failures in securing the vested interests of Brussels. He must leave behind a complete configuration with the issues already resolved.
Being aware of Ilham Aliyev’s seriousness, composure and decency in fulfilling his country’s commitments, Charles Michel realizes that he owes the Azerbaijani President. However, a congratulatory gesture cannot be a compensation for Europe’s diplomatic costs accumulated in the Caucasus direction. If the Old Continent sincerely wants full and trusting relations with the leader of the Caucasus, it must show basic political tact to perceive Baku as an equal and equal partner. And formal courtesy is not enough to follow the letter of equal partnership.
Tofig Abbasov
Translated from Minval.az
