Ilham Aliyev
At the Shusha Global Media Forum on July 13, Aliyev declared Azerbaijan a "middle power," praised Trump's peace facilitation, and warned Azerbaijan may withdraw from the Council of Europe. He is simultaneously hosting Slovakia's president, pushing Karabakh reconstruction, and demanding Armenia amend its Constitution before a peace treaty is signed.
Ilham Aliyev used the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum on July 13 to lay out a doctrine of strategic autonomy, calling Azerbaijan a "middle power" and transit hub, praising Trump's role in facilitating a peace framework with Armenia, and sharply criticizing the European Parliament and PACE. He warned that Azerbaijan has seriously considered withdrawing from the Council of Europe and that "no one in the country will even notice." The broadside against European parliamentary institutions comes just two weeks after he sealed a connectivity partnership with the EU's executive arm: on July 1, Aliyev and Commission President von der Leyen launched an EU-Azerbaijan Connectivity Partnership in Baku anchored by a €200 million Global Gateway grant package, targeting roughly €2 billion in Port of Baku and Nakhchivan railway investment, plus a €20 million "Peace Dividends" program covering both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
On July 13-14 Aliyev hosted Slovak President Pellegrini in Shusha and Karabakh, extending Slovakia's NATO Contact Point Embassy role through 2028 and touring Slovak-developed smart village reconstruction in Agdam. He called bilateral relations "at a very high level" and framed Karabakh reconstruction as a government priority, continuing a steady program of site visits across liberated districts — Shusha, Khojavend, Fuzuli — where returning families are being resettled under his Great Return program.
On the Armenia track, Foreign Minister Bayramov announced Baku has completed all its obligations on the initialled peace agreement, but formal signing is contingent on Armenia removing territorial-claim references from its Constitution. Nearly 13 km of shared border has been delimited, and initial TRIPP corridor talks with the US are underway, all flowing from the Washington Joint Declaration signed by Aliyev, Pashinyan, and Trump. Aliyev's October 2025 decision to lift Armenia cargo transit restrictions continues to produce growing flows of grain, fertilizer, and fuel.
Energy diplomacy remains a central pillar. Three German companies signed 10-year contracts with SOCAR for roughly 2 bcm/year of natural gas. At the June 1 Baku Energy Forum, Aliyev declared "the world cannot live without oil and gas," announced a shift from attracting investors to investing abroad via SOCAR across Africa and Central Asia, and set targets of 2 GW renewables by 2027 and 8 GW by 2032. He elevated Turkmenistan ties to strategic partnership during Berdimuhamedov's June state visit, signed energy and visa-free agreements with Jordan's Deputy PM Al-Safadi, and met US Representative Hamadeh to push the Section 907 repeal and TRIPP corridor. Azerbaijan is also implementing a 2026-2028 Digital Development Acceleration Action Plan with a National Cybersecurity Agency and a 5-billion-manat 2026-2030 State Agricultural Program targeting beef and milk production increases.
On their plate
At the Shusha Global Media Forum on July 13, Aliyev declared Azerbaijan a "middle power" and transit hub, praised Trump's strategic partnership and peace-framework facilitation, and sharply criticized the European Parliament and PACE. He warned that Azerbaijan has seriously considered withdrawing from the Council of Europe, saying "no one in the country will even notice."
On July 1-2 Aliyev and EU Commission President von der Leyen launched the EU-Azerbaijan Connectivity Partnership in Baku, backed by a €200M Global Gateway grant package targeting ~€2B in Port of Baku and Nakhchivan railway investment plus a €20M "Peace Dividends" program for both Azerbaijan and Armenia. A ministerial connectivity conference is planned in Baku by end-2026.
FM Bayramov announced Baku has completed all obligations on the initialled, public draft peace agreement, but signing is contingent on Armenia removing territorial-claim references from its Constitution. Nearly 13 km of shared border has been delimited; the OSCE Minsk Process closure has been requested; initial TRIPP talks with the US are underway — all flowing from the Washington Joint Declaration signed by Aliyev, Pashinyan and Trump.
Aliyev is personally touring restoration sites across liberated districts — Shusha, Khojavend, Fuzuli — where returning IDP families are being resettled. He reviewed a Shusha public-private partnership of 10 mixed-use buildings on Garabagh Street, inspected rebuilt villages with returning families, and told IDPs "our state is strong, our Army is strong, and our will is firm." He hosted Slovak President Pellegrini in Shusha and Karabakh, touring Slovak-developed smart village reconstruction in Agdam.
At the June 1 Baku Energy Forum Aliyev declared "the world cannot live without oil and gas," announced a strategic shift to investing abroad via SOCAR across Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, and set renewables targets of 2 GW by 2027 and 8 GW by 2032. Three German companies signed 10-year contracts with SOCAR for ~2 bcm/year of gas; he elevated Turkmenistan ties to strategic partnership with Berdimuhamedov's state visit focused on Middle Corridor development and Turkmen gas to Europe via SGC.
Key relationships
Aliyev hosted the Slovak president in Shusha and Karabakh on July 13-14, extending Slovakia's NATO Contact Point Embassy role through 2028 and touring Slovak-developed smart village reconstruction in Agdam, calling bilateral relations "at a very high level."
Aliyev praised Trump's strategic partnership and his facilitation of the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace framework at the Shusha Global Media Forum, and credited the US presidency with advancing the peace agenda in talks with US Representative Hamadeh.
Aliyev and the EU Commission President launched the EU-Azerbaijan Connectivity Partnership in Baku on July 1, anchored by a €200M grant package and a €20M Peace Dividends program, citing 10 EU members importing Azerbaijani gas and 65% export growth since 2022.
Aliyev and Speaker Gafarova met US Representative Hamadeh in Baku on June 17 to expand Azerbaijan-US strategic ties, pushing the TRIPP corridor and the Section 907 repeal bill Hamadeh co-authored.
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