By Brawley Benson
Italy is emerging as a new player in South Caucasus geopolitics, providing backing for Azerbaijan amid the European Union’s efforts to broker a durable peace between Baku and Armenia. From Azerbaijan’s perspective, the hope is that a higher Italian profile in the peace process can help mitigate France’s unflinching support for Armenia.
Italian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli has been a particularly vocal supporter of Baku. On April 3, he chided the EU’s approach in trying to broker a peace deal, singling out France for one-sidedness. “Any sudden statement by representatives of third-party institutions with respect to the parties in the field risks exacerbating tensions,” Cirielli said.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quick to latch on to Cirielli’s comments. The state news agency Azertac quoted ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada as saying, “We believe Italy’s policy should set an example for some other European countries, particularly France.”
Carlo Frappi, a research fellow at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, said in an interview with Eurasianet that Italy has pursued a balanced or “low profile” policy on Karabakh both before and after last year’s complete takeover of the territory. This does not necessarily threaten France’s position, but it can complicate things if their officials’ public statements continue to contradict each other.
Frappi said that Italy, along with other EU states, is supportive of efforts to promote Armenia’s “socio-economic resilience” following its decisive defeat in Karabakh, which resulted in the influx of over 100,000 refugees. At the same time, Rome is not necessarily in alignment with Brussels’ position in peace negotiations. “The former doesn’t necessarily affect the latter,” he said, adding that he sees Cirielli’s views — while not uncommon in Rome — as political posturing. “I would say it is more the expression of an individual rather than an institutional thought.”
