An informal exchange of views is set to take place in Brussels on Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan expected to join a breakfast discussion, a senior EU official confirmed.
According to Report’s European bureau, the EU representative declined to provide details of the meeting, citing its informal nature.
She stressed that the European Union maintains relations with both Armenia and Azerbaijan and supports peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Caucasus.
“What I can say is that we had a good meeting and discussions with Hikmet Hajiyev, and that we have very good contacts with Azerbaijan,” the official said.
At the same time, Mirzoyan’s return to Brussels – nearly two weeks after the signing of a bilateral Strategic Partnership Agenda – has raised questions. The visit coincides with an EU gathering where Armenia is not formally on the agenda, prompting speculation that the talks may focus on issues previously raised by Azerbaijan and viewed with concern in Baku, rather than being limited to a routine diplomatic exchange.
EU foreign policy officials have so far been unable to explain why the Strategic Partnership document has not yet been made public by the European Union. Efforts by Report to obtain an official EU response to Azerbaijan’s critical reaction – which described certain provisions of the document as interference in internal affairs and bilateral relations with Armenia – have also been unsuccessful.
However, EU foreign policy sources told Report informally that the document had been drafted as early as July, before the peace agreement was initialed in Washington in early August. The Washington agreements reportedly came as a surprise to Brussels.
“This is precisely the problem – the bureaucratic machinery is slow and often fails to keep pace with real developments,” one source said.
This assessment echoes Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, which argued that the language of the strategy “does not reflect the latest realities.” While some adjustments were reportedly made, the core provisions remained largely unchanged from earlier drafts agreed before the Washington talks.
According to sources, this may explain why the EU has yet to publish the document.
Despite this, relations with Azerbaijan remain a priority within the EU’s foreign policy service. “Many assume everyone here is focused exclusively on Ukraine, but that’s not the case,” one source noted.
“The South Caucasus – relations with Azerbaijan and Armenia, and between them – remains a key issue. The line between geoeconomics and geopolitics is increasingly blurred, and this region matters on both fronts.”
The EU, sources say, is seeking to capitalize on the current regional climate, which offers opportunities to finalize a peace agreement and advance normalization efforts. While this may not be visible publicly, officials insist that “behind closed doors, contacts and discussions are very active and intensive.”
Another item on the EU’s agenda is Armenia’s potential integration into the broader Middle Corridor, beyond the limited segment often referred to as TRIPP, underscoring Brussels’ growing geoeconomic interest in the region.
