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The given thesis analyses the position of human rights in EU-Azerbaijan relations by reviewing various agreements the both sides have concluded. It examines the relations between the two sides by looking mostly into a Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy for the European Union, underlining the importance and future implications of adopted elements within it such as resilience, differentiation and greater ownership of partners. Although many scholars and human right activist perceive this policy change towards Azerbaijan and overall, towards authoritarian regimes, as a step back, the thesis argues the opposite. The witnessed policy changes the EU have been adopted based on the conviction that the previous policies have not produced the desired results, whereas the new policies while being less vocal and forceful may be more gainful in the long run as they are more considerate of various circumstances. The thesis acknowledges that the EU approach towards Azerbaijan specifically with regards to human rights is rather soft, but underlines the lack of alternatives of dealing with a country that is neither seeking potential EU membership, nor is in the underprivileged position with regards to natural resources that some of the EU members highly depend on. In addition to the aforementioned aspects of Azerbaijan, the new policy of the EU is also considered of the country's neighbors, specifically Russia that might manifest its aggression towards the country if the EU pushes too far with its proposed democratic reforms. From the overall analysis it becomes evident that the EU has not forsaken its ambitions with regards to transforming or rather helping Azerbaijan transform into a rule-based state. The EU altered its approach to the country realizing that forceful policies might encourage the Azerbaijani authorities to close down and stop its cooperation with the Union.Thus, the Union chose less forceful, yet more sustainable policies towards the country, hoping that the outcome of them will be more positive than the previous ones.