“Biden’s anti-Azerbaijani narratives debunked” — Ilham Aliyev on the results of the Washington meeting
Ilham Aliyev on the meeting with Trump and Pashinyan
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev commented to Azerbaijani journalists on the results of the historic summit in Washington on August 8.
At the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, a meeting was held at the White House with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan. This was followed by a trilateral summit, which resulted in the signing of a memorandum of intent to conclude a peace treaty. Trump signed the document as a mediator and witness.
The parties also reached an agreement to open a road connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, which will pass through Armenian territory.
Previously known in Azerbaijan as the “Zangezur Corridor,” the planned highway now has an official name — the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP). It was also agreed that the section of the road in Armenian territory will be managed by an American consortium.
Statements by Ilham Aliyev – key points
A new chapter in Azerbaijan–U.S. relations
“Today marks the opening of a new chapter in U.S.–Azerbaijan relations — a chapter of cooperation and strategic partnership. Establishing relations with the U.S. at such a level is, of course, very important for protecting Azerbaijan’s national interests.
A strategic working group has been created to draft a bilateral Strategic Partnership Charter. It clearly defines future areas of cooperation: mutual investment, energy, transport links, transit, security, artificial intelligence, cooperation in the defense industry and defense, among other issues.”
Criticism of the Biden administration
“During my visit, I have already held meetings with several leading American companies. We don’t want to waste time. I already consider the four years of the previous U.S. administration as lost years.
Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, U.S.–Azerbaijan relations became a hostage to the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The achievements and potential we once had with the U.S. were, one might say, frozen.”
“Trump fully understands Azerbaijan’s importance”
“Everyone probably noticed the positive attitude of Mr. Trump and members of his team toward Azerbaijan — both in our meetings and during the atmosphere of the trilateral press conference.
From this perspective, the visit is extremely important. This was my first meeting with President Trump, and it took place in a very sincere atmosphere. His knowledge about Azerbaijan greatly impressed me. He has deep understanding of many issues. Mr. Trump knows very well the importance of Azerbaijan — its geopolitical role and the fact that Azerbaijan has always been a friendly country to the United States.”
Repeal of Amendment 907
Amendment 907 to the Freedom Support Act was passed by the U.S. in the 1990s and prohibited any direct U.S. assistance to the government of Azerbaijan, accusing it of blockading Armenia during the First Karabakh War.
The Freedom Support Act was adopted to provide economic aid to former Soviet republics. Azerbaijan became the only post-Soviet state not to receive direct U.S. government assistance. Over the years, various U.S. presidents suspended the amendment, but the Biden administration refused to do so.
At the Washington meeting, Donald Trump announced the repeal of Amendment 907.
“Signing the document repealing this unfair amendment in the Oval Office in my presence carries great symbolic meaning. He could have done it in another format, signed it later, but chose to do it in the presence of the President of Azerbaijan — the country unfairly sanctioned by Congress in October 1992.
At the time, members of Congress knew nothing about Azerbaijan or the realities of the South Caucasus and were influenced by Armenian lobbying groups. The victim — Azerbaijan — was portrayed as the aggressor. This amendment deprived us of direct U.S. assistance at a time when we badly needed it.
Azerbaijan was then a poor country with many refugees and a shattered economy.
In 2001, the sanctions were suspended because the U.S. government needed Azerbaijan’s assistance in Afghanistan, and we provided a vital transport network — not just air routes, but also land and sea transport.
Until 2023, each year the U.S. president suspended the amendment. We did not expect such treatment from the Biden administration; it was a big shock for us.
When they no longer needed us in Afghanistan — when the Biden administration simply fled Afghanistan before the eyes of the world — they reinstated sanctions against us.
This was the peak of negative U.S. attitudes toward Azerbaijan and an extreme display of ingratitude. […] That is why this symbolic gesture by President Trump means so much to us.
Of course, today Azerbaijan does not need foreign aid. Our economy is stable. Our foreign debt is just under 7% of GDP. We have become a donor country ourselves.
Today, Amendment 907 has mainly political and symbolic significance. Its repeal shows that this injustice no longer exists.”
How Azerbaijan developed the peace treaty with Armenia and the “obstacles from Yerevan”
“After the Second Karabakh War (2020), a kind of vacuum emerged in contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group still wanted to function but was practically paralyzed.
They didn’t know what to do because Azerbaijan had resolved all issues on its own within the framework of international law. The Karabakh conflict — the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict — was settled by military-political means.
It was then that Azerbaijan presented its vision for the future: there should be a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and we were its initiators.
After we put forward this initiative, there was no response. We then proposed five main principles, on the basis of which we drafted the peace agreement text.
After that, negotiations began at our initiative, but they did not go smoothly. The main reason was that Armenia wanted to include a provision on Karabakh in the peace treaty.
This had no logical, legal, or political basis. We tried to explain to the Armenian side that this is our internal matter, and domestic issues of any country cannot be part of an intergovernmental agreement. But Armenia refused to drop this demand.
Later, meetings were held in Brussels under the initiative of the President of the European Council. But again, this fundamental issue prevented the sides from agreeing on the treaty.
Only after the 2023 counter-terrorism operation did Armenia have to accept the realities. After that, the active negotiation process truly began.
For several months now, the sides have stated that all articles of the peace treaty have been agreed upon. I believe this is a very important historical matter for the South Caucasus. I am confident that the peace treaty initialed today at the White House has already brought peace to the region.
Of course, Armenia still has some ‘homework.’ As you know, the territorial claims against Azerbaijan in its constitution prevented the treaty from being signed today in Washington.
Once these changes are made, the peace treaty can be signed at any time.
But I have already said today that if the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to this initialing at the White House, it means that lasting peace has already come to our region.
At the White House press conference, I noted that we did this in the number one capital in the world, in the number one office in the world, with the participation of the most powerful president in the world.
Everyone understands the great significance this has for our country, the region, and a much wider geography. We restored justice by military means, and now we have put the final political seal on it.”
On the termination of the OSCE Minsk Group’s activities in the Karabakh conflict settlement
“Our position has always been consistent, logical, and well-founded. We have never set unrealistic or unacceptable conditions for Armenia.
For some reason, our reasonable proposal to abolish the OSCE Minsk Group met with negative reactions. We repeatedly tried to explain that if Armenia recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, if Armenia itself declares that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, then the continued de jure existence of the Minsk Group is entirely illogical.
It had already lost its functional essence, and we will never allow it to be revived in any form or transformed into something else.
That is why I believe that the initialing of the peace agreement today, along with our joint statement on abolishing the OSCE Minsk Group, has removed the first obstacle to signing the peace treaty.”
On removing from Armenia’s Constitution the clause that Baku considers a territorial claim against Azerbaijan
“At various stages, both in Armenian society and among its ruling circles, there was an assumption that Azerbaijan allegedly wanted to interfere in Armenia’s internal affairs. Our position was that this should not be seen that way.
There is a clause in Armenia’s Constitution that lays claim to our territorial integrity. This is a matter that directly concerns us. Therefore, the peace treaty cannot be signed without this amendment.
With the changes to Armenia’s Constitution, territorial claims against Azerbaijan will be excluded. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful, first and foremost, toward the United States of America.
Our position is understood by almost all leading international actors, including the U.S.
When this happens is up to Armenia itself. We cannot make any proposals on that. However, I believe that the sooner, the better. In my view, there is no reason to waste time.
If Azerbaijan and Armenia have already initialed the peace agreement, then its official signing should not be delayed.”
“Azerbaijan was demonized by the American media, which President Trump rightly calls fake”
“For many years, Azerbaijan was demonized in the American media, which President Trump rightly calls fake. Outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, and many others regularly spread rumors about Azerbaijan, attacked us, published insulting articles, and effectively misled American public opinion.
This was mostly done by representatives of the Armenian lobby — a group that today acts against Armenia’s own interests.
Instead of welcoming what is happening now (at the summit), they feel complete disappointment, because they have a completely different agenda. They are directly responsible for Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories — their ideas, advice, funding, and influence on various Armenian governments played a destructive role for Armenia itself.
If not for them and similar groups, Armenia would have been a much more developed country with a strong, independent system. But they wasted time occupying our lands, and ultimately could not maintain that occupation forever, losing 30 years of development in the process.
For those who know our country, all these rumors are clearly biased. Azerbaijan is known for its ethnic and religious diversity. All religious sites are protected by the state. In Azerbaijan, there has never been not only conflict but even misunderstanding based on ethnic or religious differences.
On the contrary, Azerbaijan today is one of the centers of multiculturalism, where representatives of different religions and ethnic groups live together as one family.
Therefore, I believe what happened today will serve as a good response to those who either do not know the reality or deliberately try to create false perceptions.”
On the road from Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia
“As for the land connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan — over the past five years, we have faced many provocations from leaders of different countries who spread rumors that Azerbaijan allegedly planned to attack Armenia and forcibly seize this part of the territory.
All our statements that this was false had no effect. Here in Washington, the driving force behind this Azerbaijani-phobia was the Biden administration.
We know this for certain, because in conversations with our European partners they repeatedly told us that this information came from Biden’s team. They deliberately spread rumors about Azerbaijan’s so-called aggressive intentions.
Even in the first months of President Trump’s term, such narratives were voiced — coming from members of the old team who still remained in certain government agencies. Their agenda was influenced by NGOs such as Human Rights Watch and Freedom House, these haters of Azerbaijan, and also USAID or Radio Liberty, which President Trump very successfully shut down, saving the world from the catastrophe called USAID.
And here is what happened today.
In the joint declaration signed by the Prime Minister of Armenia and me, in the presence of President Trump, there is a clause that exactly reflects our position: unimpeded access from the main part of Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic — and it is written there with full respect for Armenia’s sovereignty.
We wanted unimpeded access from one part of Azerbaijan to the other. This was also Armenia’s obligation under the November 10, 2020 agreement (the Russia-brokered deal that ended the Second Karabakh War).
For five years, there was no progress in Armenia — no physical work on the ground. During these years, we have nearly brought the railway to the Armenian border. It might take us less than a year, maybe even six months, to reach it completely.
At the same time, we have started restoring the railway in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. This 40+ kilometer section through Armenia is necessary to connect the two parts of Azerbaijan.
And it’s not just railways. We are also thinking about power lines, fiber-optic lines, and creating a potential energy infrastructure that will in the future integrate Azerbaijan’s resources with those of our neighbors across the Caspian.
All this completely debunks the anti-Azerbaijani narratives cultivated by the Biden administration and the political structures at their disposal.
There are people who have regularly attacked Azerbaijan: Menendez, Schiff, Pallone, Pelosi, Sherman, Markey, Christopher Smith, and others. All these people hate Azerbaijan — I don’t know why. Probably because the Armenian lobby pays them for it.
Today’s agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia clearly shows that we want peace, but also integration between the two parts of our country via a secure corridor that will open up many opportunities for the entire region — and for Armenia itself.
In one of my meetings with the Armenian Prime Minister, I told him Armenia would have the chance to become a transit country. I said: you can only become one through Azerbaijan — and you will see the benefits of being a transit hub. This brings money, creates jobs, and political influence. Armenia deprived itself of these opportunities for many years.
The ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ — TRIPP — will be another historic achievement.
But as I said before, we must not waste time. We need to start work as soon as possible. This project will be managed by the United States, and I hope there will be investors willing to take on this important task of building communication lines for the benefit of all countries in the region.”
High probability of a major oil discovery in Azerbaijan
“A memorandum of cooperation signed between Exxon and SOCAR (the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan) will lead to the implementation of a significant project.
Exxon is one of the world’s leading energy companies, with extensive expertise in advanced technologies and a long history of work in Azerbaijan. Exxon joined our “Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli” project back in 1994, and yesterday’s signing ceremony […] in fact demonstrates our confidence in the future of this project.
We have many technical indicators that suggest this will be a major hydrocarbon field. And thanks to the vision and policies of President Trump, fossil fuels — which over the past decade or more have been unfairly discriminated against — are now returning to the market.
Our team has been holding negotiations here with international financial institutions and with the U.S. EximBank on potential financing for fossil fuel projects and hydrocarbon transportation infrastructure.
Energy will certainly remain one of the key components of our cooperation. In the Memorandum of Understanding signed jointly with President Trump, energy holds a special place. By energy, we mean oil, gas, and potentially renewable energy sources.
Today, Azerbaijan supplies natural gas to ten NATO member states, EU members, and U.S. allies. Our pipeline gas deliveries reach fourteen countries, making Azerbaijan one of the world’s leading nations in pipeline gas exports.
Only recently have we begun supplying gas to Syria, which means we have now entered the Middle East region — and we will continue expanding our reach in both Europe and the Middle East.
We are also counting on close cooperation with the United States in the fields of artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Already during my visit here, initial contacts have been established between members of our team and American companies.
So today we are truly witnessing a historic day in every respect — security, stability, peace, economic opportunities, investment, energy security, and much more in the South Caucasus.”
