On 10 September, the European Parliament passed a highly critical resolution on Azerbaijan, an Eastern Partnership country. Until now, the resolution drew little attention. But recently, Azeri parliament responded with criticism. From an EU point of view, Azerbaijan has complicated human rights records – government critics and journalists often end up jailed. But the EU position is usually careful – Azerbaijan is a key partner for EU diversification of energy sources and routes. Following the critical resolution, according to Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Elmar Brok adopted illegally (tabled in plenary immediately, without having first passed through committees), Azerbaijan could respond by withdrawing support for critical Southern Gas Corridor projects, such as the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline.

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