Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev sharpened his criticism of European institutions during a meeting with participants in international conferences held in Baku on September 15, 2026. Describing the European Parliament as a “nest of bribe-takers,” Aliyev said he was using the expression while taking full responsibility for it.
Aliyev’s remarks came amid political disagreements between Azerbaijan and European institutions over the Karabakh issue. The Azerbaijani president argued that his country had been asking European institutions since 2001 to adopt political decisions on Nagorno-Karabakh, but that these requests had not been answered.
Allegations of a double standard in Europe after Karabakh
Aliyev claimed that the Council of Europe imposed sanctions on Azerbaijan after it reestablished control over Karabakh in September 2023, while Armenia was not subjected to similar action. He used this comparison to support his assessment that European institutions’ approach toward Azerbaijan was political and biased.
Aliyev also accused European institutions of applying double standards. He argued that Western media had adopted Islamophobic approaches in its criticism of Azerbaijan, and assessed Europe’s political response to Karabakh alongside debates over representation and corruption within European institutions.
Reference to a case involving a former European official
Aliyev also cited a corruption case said to be linked to one of the European Parliament’s former vice-presidents, claiming that no necessary action had been taken against an official who had millions of dollars at home.
There is no independent verification that this person was conclusively found responsible for corruption. The case was one of the examples Aliyev presented as grounds for his political accusations against the European Parliament.
Longstanding tensions between Baku and European institutions
On September 10, 2015, the European Parliament adopted a resolution expressing concern over allegations of human rights violations and corruption in Azerbaijan. The resolution called for allegations said to be linked to the Azerbaijani authorities to be investigated.
Azerbaijan’s influence and political reach within European institutions also became the subject of past debates over “caviar diplomacy.” In a case in Italy, allegations that former Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe member Luca Volontè received money to influence decisions in Azerbaijan’s favor, as well as his conviction in the case, were cited in corruption debates surrounding European institutions.
The European Parliament and the Council of Europe are separate institutions. While the Volontè case involved the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Aliyev’s latest remarks directly targeted the European Parliament. This institutional distinction is important when assessing the framework of the political tensions between Karabakh and Azerbaijan on one side and European institutions on the other.
