During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Baku, there were discussions about cooperation between SOCAR and Gazprom, which triggered an uproar on Ukrainian social media: outrage, accusations of betrayal, calls to boycott SOCAR, and so on.
We will intentionally refrain from listing the extensive humanitarian aid that Azerbaijan has provided to Ukraine since the first day of the war. This includes medicines, medical supplies, transformers, and generators sent when Russia targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, as well as equipment to address the aftermath of the Kakhovka Dam explosion. Not to mention Azerbaijan’s continued support for the reconstruction of Irpin, where a lyceum is named after Zarifa Aliyeva. It’s not even worth bringing up SOCAR’s charitable projects, from providing free fuel for humanitarian transport to offering hot drinks and charging stations during power outages. Unfortunately, some people have very short memories. Let’s focus instead on the political aspect.
It might be news to some, but there is no clearly defined military or political alliance between Baku and Kyiv. Simply put, neither Azerbaijan nor Ukraine owes anything to each other. All the humanitarian aid that has flowed from Baku to Kyiv was provided out of compassion, not due to any political obligations. Furthermore, Azerbaijan is under no obligation to immediately sever all ties with Moscow and declare war, opening a “second front.”
Moreover, understanding this, Baku did not stage protests when Ukraine, for example, hosted Serzh Sargsyan, a war criminal who has admitted to participating in the massacre of civilians in Khojaly. Nor did anyone call to cut off Ukrainian companies in Azerbaijan when Kyiv rolled out the red carpet for Anna Hakobyan, who staged a cheap “military training” show in Shusha just before the 44-day war. We fully understand that Ukraine will not downgrade its relations with France or even Armenia in favor of Azerbaijan, because we live in a world where no one owes anything to anyone.
Furthermore, during its 30 years of war and occupation, Azerbaijan did not receive even a fraction of the support from the international community, including Ukraine, that Kyiv has received and continues to receive from Baku. During our war and the liberation of our territories, we did not receive significant military support from abroad. Even Ukraine did not send us weapons as gifts – Azerbaijan paid “real money” to Israel, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and other suppliers.
One would not like to think that the external military support Ukraine has received has fostered a sense of entitlement among some in Ukrainian society. But it seems that some in the Ukrainian “talking class” have momentarily forgotten that in politics, there are clearly defined obligations, good will between parties, and the national interests of each state. They have also forgotten that Russian gas has continued to flow through Ukrainian territory despite the war. Against this backdrop, making any claims against Azerbaijan seems, at the very least, laughable if it weren’t so sad. Not to mention that “fighting” from a couch is easy, and it’s even easier to disguise commercial interests as part of this “war.”
Yes, as a result of this hysteria, SOCAR might withdraw from Ukraine, especially considering that the Ukrainian market can hardly be called profitable given the war.
Public opinion in Azerbaijan, which is overwhelmingly pro-Ukrainian, will also react accordingly. They certainly did not expect such a “thank you” from Ukrainians. Isn’t Kyiv risking its relationships with potential allies too often? Just recently, there was a serious crisis in relations with Poland. Ukraine has had overly high expectations and demands for military support from abroad, accompanied by loud grievances. It’s no coincidence that NATO foreign and defense ministers advised Ukrainian representatives to “be grateful.” Relations with Georgia, one of Ukraine’s most natural allies, have also soured. Now, relations with Azerbaijan are under threat, at least on social media. Freedom of speech on social media is, of course, a good thing, but this is one case where Ukrainian authorities should at least express their position, especially considering the ongoing transit of Russian gas through Ukraine.
