Azerbaijan has intensified its foreign policy outreach with a dense round of contacts in Brussels, Rome and Baku, as senior officials pressed ahead with a peace agenda in the South Caucasus and sought to deepen strategic ties with the EU, Nato, Italy and Iran according to APA.

In Brussels, presidential foreign policy aide Hikmet Hajiyev met members of the EU’s Political and Security Committee, holding what he described as “substantive discussions” on deepening Azerbaijan–EU co-operation. Hajiyev said he briefed EU ambassadors on Baku’s regional peace agenda, the economic dividends of normalisation with Armenia, the development of the Zangezur corridor and confidence-building measures.

He added that Azerbaijan “fully supports” further steps to strengthen partnership with the EU and thanked committee members for expressing backing for closer ties. He also held separate meetings with EU officials on what he called the “positive dynamics” in Azerbaijan–EU relations, saying the sides reviewed a broad spectrum of the bilateral agenda and prospects for strengthening the partnership.

At the same time, Hajiyev paid a visit to Nato headquarters, where he met ambassadors of the North Atlantic Council and Nato assistant secretary general for political affairs and security policy Boris Ruge. The talks revisited the recent visit of Nato ambassadors to Baku and their meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, and ranged across the long-standing Azerbaijan-Nato partnership, European energy security, broader regional security trends and the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace track.

While Hajiyev was in Brussels, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov was on an official visit to Italy, using a packed schedule in Rome and San Marino to showcase what both sides call a “multi-dimensional strategic partnership”. In Rome, Bayramov met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, with both noting that bilateral ties had reached the level of strategic partnership. The ministers highlighted the impact of recent leader-level contacts, including President Aliyev’s visit to Italy in 2024 and President Sergio Mattarella’s official trip to Azerbaijan in September 2025, as well as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s participation in the COP29 leaders’ segment in Baku.

The opening of the new campus of the Italy-Azerbaijan University during Mattarella’s visit was singled out as a key pillar of the political relationship, anchoring education co-operation within the wider strategic framework. Bayramov and Tajani reviewed opportunities to expand collaboration in energy, economy and trade, transport, culture, education and defence. They underlined the strategic weight of energy co-operation, arguing that joint projects play a major role in underpinning Europe’s energy security.

Bayramov also briefed his counterpart on Baku’s peace and normalisation efforts with Armenia, the August 2025 Washington Joint Declaration and follow-up understandings, and the large-scale reconstruction and reintegration work under way in territories retaken from Armenian control, where Italian companies are increasingly active. The two ministers discussed co-operation in international organisations, including with the EU and on multilateral platforms, and explored joint work ahead of the World Urban Forum to be hosted by Azerbaijan next year.

Parliamentary diplomacy featured prominently on the Italian leg of the trip. On November 26, Bayramov met Senate president Ignazio La Russa, with both sides noting that relations based on mutual trust, shared interests and an active political dialogue had deepened further in recent years. They expressed satisfaction with progress across political, defence and security, economic, trade, energy, renewables, humanitarian, tourism, cultural and educational areas. La Russa and Bayramov emphasised the importance of strengthening parliamentary links and maintaining regular contacts between legislative leaders, arguing that these mechanisms are crucial for consolidating the institutional architecture of the partnership and for mutual support on regional and international parliamentary platforms.

Bayramov also held talks with Lorenzo Fontana, speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, on bilateral and multilateral co-operation and the post-conflict situation in the region. Both sides again stressed the central role of parliamentary diplomacy and noted that the establishment of the Italy-Azerbaijan University had given an additional boost to strategic ties.

In parallel, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister travelled to San Marino, where he met Luca Beccari, secretary of state for foreign affairs, political affairs, international economic co-operation and digital transition. The two discussed the state and prospects of relations, agreeing that there was scope to broaden political dialogue, institute regular consultations between foreign ministries, step up reciprocal visits and expand ties across multiple sectors. Bayramov and Beccari identified deepening trade and investment links, as well as co-operation in tourism, education and humanitarian fields, as shared priorities.

The Azerbaijani minister again set out Baku’s regional peace initiatives, the normalisation track with Armenia under the Washington Joint Declaration, and reconstruction efforts in liberated territories. The two also exchanged views on co-operation in international organisations, the situation in the Middle East, the Russia–Ukraine war and other regional and global issues.

Rounding off his Italy programme, Bayramov attended a working dinner at the Azerbaijan Cultural Centre in Rome with senior Italian officials. Discussions focused on the continued expansion of the strategic partnership, with particular emphasis on political dialogue, energy, trade, transport links, culture and education. Both sides reiterated their commitment to further deepening co-operation across all areas and to consolidating the long-term friendship between the two countries.