Ursula von der Leyen is heading to the South Caucasus to strengthen the EU’s ties with partners in the contested region

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is heading to the South Caucasus to strengthen the EU’s ties with partners in the contested region — and to counter Russia’s attempts to regain its grip, Politico reports.

The Commission will announce today that von der Leyen and enlargement chief Marta Kos are to travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan next week, three officials with knowledge of the trip told Playbook.

The two countries are “strategically vital” for the EU as waypoints between Europe and Asia on the historic Silk Road, one of the officials said. They said the trip will focus on bolstering trade and other connections, as well as helping counter Moscow’s efforts to influence the former Soviet states.

The EU is amping up support to Armenia after its pro-Western government secured another parliamentary majority earlier this month, triggering threats from Moscow. When Russia imposed a ban on Armenia’s lucrative flower exports in May, threatening to tank the industry, Brussels raced to help find European buyers to replace it before shipments wilted. Latvia stepped in to take delivery.

An EU-Armenia civilian task force set up over the row “is now working and already doing a lot,” said a second official, with a focus on shoring up the country’s economy against coercion by helping diversify trade links toward Europe. But the Kremlin’s threats to shut off the flow of discounted oil and gas could require additional support from Brussels, they said.

Von der Leyen will meet Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, whose country is a major energy supplier for the EU. They’ll talk about the shifting power balance and connectivity through the region, which has become more important because of the war in the Middle East. Von der Leyen is expected to make a series of as-yet unconfirmed announcements.