European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos visited Azerbaijan to sign a new agreement aiming to boost trade, investment, and regional peace. Ahead of a similar mission to Armenia—but, pointedly, not Georgia—she pledged to create a High-Level Economic Working Group with Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov.
A key part of the visit was advancing women’s entrepreneurship. Kos met Sakina Babayeva, chair of the Azerbaijan Women’s Entrepreneurship Development Association, to agree on a three-year strategic plan to create jobs, support innovative businesses, and strengthen women’s roles in the economy both locally and internationally.
Kos also met President Ilham Aliyev, discussing regional peace, humanitarian demining, and transport connectivity, including the road and railway lines to Zangilan.
Kos visited the Aghdam, formerly held by Armenian forces, inspecting demining operations. She praised reconstruction efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that “war is ruining people’s lives, and war is always full of consequences.”
In contrast, there is no scheduled equivalent visit to stalled EU membership candidate Georgia, whose sovereigntist government is increasingly at odds with Brussels.
