A Pragmatic Area for Cooperation: Azerbaijan and the EU RASHAD SHIRINOV I t makes sense to divide Azerbaijani policy towards the eu into two major periods. The first encompasses Azerbaijan’s early independence when the ruling elite – which has changed only once throughout the period since independence in 1993 – was extremely vulnerable because of the immaturity of the economy and constant threats from larger neighbors. This first period lasted ten years after the coup d’état that brought former kgb boss Haydar Aliyev to power. During this time Azerbaijan strove towards rapprochement with Euro-Atlantic institutions, which can be ex­plained partly by the vision of Haydar Aliyev, and partly by the economic insecurity of the young Azerbaijani state. The Azerbaijan authorities were very sensitive to changing moods in Brussels and Strasbourg, and lis­tened attentively to eu reactions and statements. When Haydar Aliyev’s son Ilham became president in 2003, however, relations between Azerbaijan and the eu took a different turn. The Azerbaijani ruling elite during Ilham Aliyev’s presidency has become increasingly irritated by messages from Brussels regarding democracy and human rights. As Michael Emerson has explained, Europeans at some point stopped using the word»democracy« in their talks with some authoritarian rulers of the former Soviet Union. During this second period Azerbaijan’s officials have increasingly used the term »cooperation« instead of»integration« when referring to the eu (as well as nato ). The increasingly dominant official attitude is that»the eu doesn’t really expect anything of us.« At the same time, Azerbaijan has emerged as one of the eu ’s major oil and gas partners. This was recognized in November 2006 by the Memorandum of Understanding on strategic partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of energy. The role of Azerbaijan as an energy supplier for Europe has strengthened the position of the Azerbaijani ruling elite, as European politicians are inter­ested in working with the government of Ilham Aliyev. As the concept of »energy security« increases in relevance for Europe, the government of 74 Shirinov, Azerbaijan ipg 3/2011