In Washington, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in an interview with AzTV, AnewZ, and the AZERTAC news agency, summed up the results of his working visit to the United States.
According to Caliber.Az, the President of Azerbaijan highly appreciated the outcomes of the visit to the USA, noting that the invitation from Donald Trump and the working visit to America hold great significance for Azerbaijani-American relations.
He stated that a new chapter is opening in the relations between the USA and Azerbaijan — one of cooperation and strategic partnership. Establishing such a level of relations with the United States, Aliyev called an important step to protect Azerbaijan’s national interests.
Ilham Aliyev emphasised that the meeting with President Trump took place in a warm and friendly atmosphere, during which a wide range of important issues was discussed.
Aliyev reported that a working group was created to prepare a Charter on Strategic Partnership, which clearly defines the directions of future cooperation: mutual investments, energy, transport, connectivity, transit, security, artificial intelligence, defence industry, and cooperation in the defence sphere, as well as other matters.
The President noted that during the visit, meetings were held with the leadership of several leading American companies, which, according to him, demonstrates the focus on the prompt development of agreements.
Aliyev also stressed that time must not be wasted, as he considers the previous four years under the Biden administration to have been lost: under Biden, bilateral relations were practically frozen and became hostage to the Armenian-Azerbaijani agenda.
He pointed out that the current positive attitude of Donald Trump, members of his administration, and his team toward Azerbaijan, as well as the atmosphere of the meetings and the press conference, are important factors.
Aliyev stated that this was his first meeting with Trump and he was surprised by the American leader’s depth of knowledge about Azerbaijan, its importance, and its geopolitical role.
The President of Azerbaijan called the repeal of the 907th amendment a historic event, as well as the launch of the strategic partnership format. He expressed confidence that concrete results of the visit will manifest in the near future.
According to President Aliyev, the personal meeting with President Trump took place in a very friendly, warm, and result-oriented atmosphere. Aliyev said that he knew President Trump from his previous presidential term and from what he had achieved in these six months. At the same time, President Trump did not know him personally but, of course, had heard about him from members of his team. His attitude towards President Trump has always been very positive. Even in the middle of last year, when asked about the U.S. elections, he said what he thought: he supports Trump because he is probably the only U.S. president who did not start wars. And that is true. He is a person who values family values, just like the Azerbaijani people.
Aliyev emphasised that in six months in office, Trump accomplished what seemed impossible—in Africa, Asia, and the South Caucasus. This person brings peace and achieves tangible results. From this point of view, Aliyev highly values personal relations and is confident that in the coming years they will significantly influence interstate relations between the two countries.
According to the head of state, the signing of the document in the Oval Office, in his presence, about the repeal of the unfair Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act holds special symbolic significance. Trump could have done this at another time but chose to sign it in the presence of the President of Azerbaijan—the country that in October 1992 was unjustly subjected to sanctions by the U.S. Congress. At that time, members of Congress did not know much about Azerbaijan or what was happening in the South Caucasus, and under the influence of Armenian lobby groups, the victim—Azerbaijan—was portrayed as the aggressor. This amendment deprived Azerbaijan of direct American assistance, which was extremely necessary at that time. Azerbaijan was then a country with many refugees and a devastated economy, the only former Soviet republic under sanctions.
In 2001, when the U.S. needed Azerbaijan’s help in Afghanistan, these sanctions were suspended. From that time until 2023, U.S. presidents annually extended the suspension of the amendment. It was a great shock for Azerbaijan when the Biden administration ended this practice. After the U.S., in the presence of the whole world, fled Afghanistan and no longer needed Azerbaijan’s help, the sanctions were reinstated. This was perhaps the peak of negative attitude toward Azerbaijan and an expression of extreme ingratitude. This led to a serious deterioration in relations with the Biden administration, which were never restored before the end of its term. U.S.-Azerbaijan relations were in a deep crisis. Therefore, this symbolic gesture by President Trump has special importance. Today, Azerbaijan does not need or depend on foreign aid—it has a stable economy, its external debt is less than 7% of GDP, and it has become a donor country itself. Section 907 was political in nature, and its repeal shows that this injustice no longer exists. This was a very important political step by President Trump.
Aliyev emphasised that he considers August 8 a historic day in interstate relations, which will have a positive impact on the entire region. Undoubtedly, what happened today between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be of great significance for the whole region and for everyone interested in peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Caucasus.
Answering a question about the Joint Declaration and its importance, the President of Azerbaijan noted that after the end of the Second Karabakh War, a vacuum emerged in the sphere of future contacts and relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The OSCE Minsk Group, which at that time was still attempting to work, was effectively paralyzed because it did not know what steps to take, as Azerbaijan had resolved all issues independently within the framework of international law. The Karabakh conflict was settled by military-political means.
It was during that period that Azerbaijan presented its vision for the future, based on the understanding that such a vacuum could not persist for long: a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia must be concluded. At Baku’s initiative, this process was launched; however, initially there was no response from the Armenian side. Following that, Azerbaijan put forward the well-known five basic principles and prepared the text of a peace agreement, which became the foundation for starting the negotiation process.
By Aliyev’s admission, the negotiations were not easy, mainly because the Armenian side sought to include a clause regarding Karabakh in the text of the agreement, which, according to the president, had no logical, legal, or political basis. The Azerbaijani side explained that this was an internal matter of the country, and including such provisions in an interstate treaty was unacceptable. Despite this, Armenia continued to insist on its position.
The president then recalled that Brussels meetings were held under the initiative of the European Council President, but fundamental disagreements there also prevented reaching an agreement. Only after the anti-terrorist operation in 2023 was Armenia forced to accept reality, and from that moment, an active negotiation process began.
For several months, the parties have stated that all articles of the peace treaty have been agreed upon. The President emphasised that this is an important and historic event for the South Caucasus. He is confident that the initialling of the agreement today at the White House has already brought peace to the region. However, Armenia still has its “homework” — specifically, the amendment of constitutional provisions regarding territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which has so far prevented the signing of the document. Once these amendments are made, the signing can take place at any moment.
According to the head of state, the very fact that Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to initial the agreement at the White House signals the arrival of lasting peace in the region. He stressed that this holds special significance both for Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as for the entire region.
The President also called today historic for another reason: steps have been taken to develop Azerbaijani-American bilateral relations, in the process of normalisation between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and a joint declaration was adopted and signed with the support and in the presence of the President of the United States — the leader of the most powerful country in the world. According to him, this clearly demonstrates the importance of the agreement. As the head of state noted, this happened today in the presence of the world’s most influential president. The country that restored justice on the battlefield has now put the final point at the political level as well.
President Aliyev also noted that he considers it quite realistic to remove from Armenia’s fundamental law — the constitution — the provisions on territorial claims against Azerbaijan. All of Baku’s conditions are absolutely logical, justified, and lawful. At various stages, versions have circulated in Armenian society and ruling circles that Azerbaijan supposedly wants to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs. This issue was repeatedly raised even during the negotiations. Azerbaijan’s position was that this should not be perceived in that way. This concerns an issue directly related to Azerbaijan — a direct demand, a direct claim to territorial integrity. Therefore, without this amendment, the peace treaty cannot be signed.
Aliyev stated that Baku’s position has always been consistent, logical, and well-founded, and it has never wavered. Azerbaijan has never put forward unrealistic or unacceptable conditions to Armenia. Yet, for some reason, Baku’s reasonable request to dissolve the Minsk Group was met with negative reactions. Although the Azerbaijani side repeatedly tried to explain: if Armenia recognises Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, if it itself declares that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, then the continued existence of the Minsk Group is completely illogical de jure. Especially since it has already lost its functional purpose. Baku will never allow it to be revived in any form or transformed into another format. Therefore, today’s initialling of the peace treaty and the joint statement on the dissolution of the Minsk Group removed the first obstacle. After Armenia’s constitution is amended — and the Armenian side itself has stated that such changes must be made — territorial claims against Azerbaijan will be removed from it. Otherwise, it would primarily be a sign of disrespect to the United States, since it is well known that Azerbaijan’s position has been understood and supported by virtually all major international actors, including the U.S.
President Aliyev noted that when signing the peace treaty, every issue must be resolved, and unfounded territorial claims must be removed from it. Therefore, he has no doubts on this matter. When this will happen is Armenia’s decision, but the sooner the better, as there is no time to waste. Since Azerbaijan and Armenia have already initialled the peace treaty, its official signing should not be delayed.
Answering a question about the significance of the documents signed in Washington, the perception of Azerbaijan by the American public, as well as concerns expressed by some American media and think tanks regarding the “protection of Christians in Karabakh” and the importance of the Zangezur corridor, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that for many years, Western media—what Donald Trump calls “fake news”—have deliberately spread false information about Azerbaijan.
According to him, publications such as the Washington Post, New York Times, Newsweek, and others regularly published defamatory materials and misled the American audience, with the Armenian lobby being the main source of such attacks. This lobby today acts even against the interests of Armenia itself. These groups bear responsibility for the occupation; their ideas, advice, money, and influence over Armenian governments have played a destructive role for Armenia itself.
The President of Azerbaijan stressed that all rumours and misinformation about the country are biased, since Azerbaijan is known for its ethnic and religious diversity. All religious sites are protected by the state, and the country has never experienced problems on national or religious grounds. Azerbaijan today is one of the centres of multiculturalism, he stated.
Speaking about the land connection between the main territory of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Ilham Aliyev recalled the numerous provocations and false accusations of “aggressive intentions” that had been spread over the past five years, including in Washington.
Aliyev added that such narratives were also promoted by representatives of the previous U.S. administration, whose agenda was influenced by NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, as well as USAID and Radio Liberty.
The President of Azerbaijan reported that the joint declaration signed at the White House with the Prime Minister of Armenia, in the presence of Donald Trump, explicitly guarantees unhindered access from mainland Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan while preserving Armenia’s sovereignty. This commitment by Armenia was first established on November 10, 2020, but there had been no progress for five years, he stressed. Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan has almost extended the railway line to the Armenian border and has begun restoring infrastructure in Nakhchivan, planning to connect the two parts of the country not only by railway but also through power lines, fibre optics, and energy facilities.
The head of state particularly emphasised that this project dismantles all anti-Azerbaijani narratives constructed by politicians like Robert Menendez, Adam Schiff, Frank Pallone, Nancy Pelosi, Brad Sherman, Ed Markey, Christopher Smith, and others, who, according to him, have worked against Azerbaijan for years, likely funded by the Armenian lobby.
Caliber.Az
