The inevitable non‑performance of the Eastern Partnership in Azerbaijan: how regime type matters

This paper aims to assess the involvement of Azerbaijan in the Eastern Partnership initiative since 2009. Despite the official ambitions, there has been only limited policy performance since. Using the framework of the special issue, this paper will try to understand to what extent regime type has affected the Eastern Partnership’s performance. The conceptual focus will be on three dimensions of performance measurement, namely relevance, cohesion, and effectiveness, since these are the areas where the potential agency of the Azerbaijani government can be most visible. The analysis will focus on the policy objectives that were set for Azerbaijan, including political association and economic integration; enhanced mobility in a secure environment; and sectoral cooperation. Concretely, the paper finds that the Eastern Partnership’s
limited performance in relations with Azerbaijan can be seen as inevitable
from the start, due to the differing policy expectations and commitment of authoritarian regimes.