Aliyev to sit out major leaders’ summit in Yerevan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the upcoming European Political Community summit scheduled to take place in Yerevan in May, the country’s foreign minister announced on Thursday.

“The trip is not in President Ilham Aliyev's busy work schedule for May,” Jeyhun Bayramov said.

The European Political Community, which brings together 47 participating countries, holds summits twice a year in different European cities. For Armenia, the platform has become a significant venue for discussions with Azerbaijan over a normalization deal.

Azerbaijani media, citing diplomatic sources, reported last October that Aliyev declined Armenia’s invitation because his attendance would “create a false impression that the peace process is finalized.” The reports added that Baku does not rule out attending a high-level event in Yerevan in the future, but only after a peace treaty between the two countries is signed.

Although the sides initialed a draft agreement last August, Azerbaijan remains reluctant to fully sign and ratify the deal. Baku has demanded that Armenia amend its constitution, arguing that it contains territorial claims over Nagorno-Karabakh, a claim Yerevan rejects.

Also read: Yerevan to host European Political Community summit in 2026

Of the seven previous European Political Community summits, Aliyev has skipped only two. A notable absence was in October 2023 in Spain, days after Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh and ethnically cleansed the region’s entire Armenian population. The Azerbaijani delegation canceled its participation at the last moment, citing an “anti-Azerbaijani atmosphere,” referring to statements by European leaders condemning Baku’s military action.