Washington, August 8, AZERTAC

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to representatives of Azerbaijani media in Washington on August 8.

Vusal Matlab, AzTV correspondent: It is a pleasure to see you, Mr. President. You are visiting the United States of America at the invitation of President Donald Trump, and everyone in Azerbaijan is waiting for news from Washington today. Therefore, thank you very much for this interview. With your permission, let's move on to the questions.

- How would you assess your meeting with Mr. Trump and the importance of the document on the establishment of the Strategic Working Group for the preparation of the Charter on the Strategic Partnership between the United States of America and Azerbaijan, and the results of this visit in general?

- President Ilham Aliyev: I have a very good assessment of the results of the visit. First of all, coming to America on a working visit at the invitation of President Trump is, of course, a very important development for Azerbaijani-American relations. I can say that a new page is opening in American-Azerbaijani relations today – a page of cooperation and strategic partnership. Of course, establishing relations with the United States of America at this level is a very important issue for the protection of Azerbaijan's national interests.

My meeting with President Trump was very sincere. I can say that it was held in a friendly atmosphere. Many important issues were discussed. In addition, as you may know, a Strategic Working Group has been established to prepare the Strategic Partnership Charter, and of course, this document is of tremendous importance. The directions of future cooperation are clearly defined in it. These include cooperation in mutual investment, energy, transport, communications, transit, security, artificial intelligence, the defense industry and defense, and other areas. In other words, simply listing these directions shows just how extensive the opportunities opening up before our country are, and the composition of the group that will represent the Azerbaijani side has already been determined on my instruction. We will put forward our proposals. Meetings have already been held with several leading American companies within the framework of my visit. In other words, we do not want to waste any time. I consider the four years of the previous administration as lost years because, unfortunately, during the Biden administration, American-Azerbaijani relations became hostage to Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. The achievements and the potential we had with the United States of America in previous years were almost frozen. Therefore, we cannot waste any time now. The audience may have felt the positive attitude of Mr. Trump, his administration, and his team towards Azerbaijan from the meetings we held and the atmosphere of the press conference.

This positive attitude, of course, is a very important factor. From this point of view, the visit is of great importance. This is my first meeting with President Trump. I want to say again that the meeting was very sincere. To be honest, I was surprised by his knowledge of Azerbaijan. He has quite in-depth knowledge of many issues. Mr. Trump knows very well the importance of Azerbaijan, its geopolitical importance, and the fact that Azerbaijan has always been a friendly country to the United States of America. Of course, personal contacts will play an important role in our relations. Of course, I do believe that the waiver of Section 907 is a historic event. I also believe that we have already started a strategic cooperation format. Therefore, I am very pleased with the results of the visit, and I am sure that tangible results of this visit will manifest themselves in the near future.

Oubai Shahbandar, AnewZ TV channel correspondent: Mr. President, it has been quite a day — history in the making. You and Prime Minister Pashinyan are going to issue a joint declaration to the Nobel Prize Committee. We heard President Trump praise your vision and leadership, and you likewise praised President Trump’s visionary leadership that led to this agreement today. As you know, with President Trump, personal relations are very important. How would you rate the leadership-to-leadership or even personal relations between you and President Trump? And how important was it for you to see President Trump waive Section 907 of the law that was passed by Congress decades ago, which prevented American aid to Azerbaijan? Is this a new moment for Azerbaijan and the United States?

President Ilham Aliyev: Exactly. I am sure we are opening a new chapter in our relationship. My personal contact with President Trump began with a very friendly, cordial, and result-oriented first meeting. Of course, I knew President Trump from his previous term and from what he had accomplished in six months. President Trump did not know who I was at first; he had heard about me through his team members. But my personal attitude toward President Trump has always been very positive. Even last year, when asked about the US elections, I said what I thought: we supported him because he is probably the only American president who did not start wars. This is true. He is a person who values family values, like Azerbaijani people. During these six months in office, as I said today at the press conference, he achieved things that seemed impossible — in Africa, Asia, and the South Caucasus. He is a person who brings tangible results. From this point of view, I highly value our personal relationship. I am confident that in the coming years, this personal relationship will greatly influence interstate relations between our countries.

Issuing a waiver and signing a waiver to this unjust Section 907 amendment to the Freedom Support Act, in the Oval Office and in my presence, has very symbolic meaning. He could have done it in another form or signed it later, but he chose to do it in front of the President of Azerbaijan — a country that was unjustly sanctioned by Congress back in October 1992. At that time, members of Congress were unaware of Azerbaijan and what was happening in the South Caucasus and were influenced by Armenian lobbying groups. Azerbaijan, the victim, was portrayed as the aggressor. That amendment deprived us of direct American assistance, which we badly needed at the time. Azerbaijan was a poor country then, with many refugees and a ruined economy. We were the only former Soviet republic under sanctions. In 2001, these sanctions were waived because the US government needed Azerbaijan’s assistance in Afghanistan. We provided a very important transportation network called the Northern Distribution Network, which included overflights, land, and maritime transportation. Every year, American presidents issued waivers until 2023.

That changed with the Biden administration, which shocked us by reimposing sanctions after they no longer needed us in Afghanistan. When the Biden administration, in front of the eyes of the whole world, was retreating from Afghanistan, they reimposed sanctions on us, which was the peak of a negative attitude toward Azerbaijan and showed ingratitude. This led to a serious deterioration in our relations with the Biden administration, which remained unrepaired until the end of that administration. Our relations were in deep crisis.

So, this symbolic gesture by President Trump means a lot to us. Of course, today Azerbaijan does not need foreign assistance; we do not depend on it. Our economy is stable; our foreign debt is less than 7% of GDP. We have become a donor country ourselves. Therefore, Section 907 now mainly has political and symbolic meaning. It demonstrates that this injustice no longer exists.

This was a very important political gesture on behalf of the President. Along with signing the waiver today, the creation of a strategic working group to develop a Charter on Strategic Partnership was also signed in his office. These two events happened today. That’s why I consider August 8 a historic day in our interstate relationship, which will have very positive implications for the whole region. What happened today between Azerbaijan and Armenia will also be very important for all those who want peace, stability, and prosperity in the South Caucasus.

Abbasali Yadigarov, AZERTAC correspondent: Mr. President, very important documents were signed today. It is well known that it was Azerbaijan that initiated the peace treaty after the Victory in the Second Karabakh War. From this perspective, how would you comment on the importance of the documents signed today?

President Ilham Aliyev: Indeed, I can say that when the Second Karabakh War ended, some sort of a gap, a vacuum appeared in the field of future relations and contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At that time, the OSCE Minsk Group, which was still interested in operating, was almost paralyzed. They did not know what to do because Azerbaijan resolved all issues on its own within the framework of international law. The Karabakh conflict, the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict, was resolved by military and political means. It was at that time that Azerbaijan laid out its vision of the future. In other words, this gap could not last long. There should be a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia and, as you noted, we were the ones who initiated it. After we put forward that initiative, there was still no response from anywhere. Then we put forward the well-known five main principles, and we also prepared the text of the peace agreement on this basis.

As you may know, after that, the process of negotiations started on our initiative. The process of negotiations was not going very smoothly. The main reason for that was the fact that the Armenian side wanted to include a provision on Karabakh in the peace agreement at the time. However, this is an issue that did not fit into any logic and had no legal or political basis. We tried to explain to the Armenian side that this is our internal issue and that internal issues of any country cannot be included in an intergovernmental agreement. However, despite this, Armenia insisted on that and did not want to back down from its position.

You probably remember that after that, Brussels meetings were held on the initiative of the President of the Council of the European Union. However, the fundamental issue did not allow the parties to reach an agreement on this issue. Only after the anti-terrorist operation of 2023 did Armenia have to come to terms with the realities. After that, it is possible to say that an active process of negotiations began. For several months now, the parties have been declaring that all the articles of the peace agreement have been agreed. I do believe that this is a very important and historic issue for the South Caucasus. I am sure that the peace agreement initialed in the White House today has already brought peace to the region.

Of course, Armenia also has some homework to do, so to speak. As you may know, the issue of territorial claims against Azerbaijan in their constitution did not allow for the signing of a peace agreement today. But after these changes are made, the peace agreement can be signed at any time. However, when I expressed my opinion on some questions today, I said that if the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to initial this agreement in the White House, then we can consider that a lasting peace has already come to our region. I believe that this is an issue of special importance for Azerbaijan, Armenia, and indeed the entire region. Therefore, today can be considered a historic day, and for this reason too. The steps taken in the development of both US-Azerbaijan bilateral relations and the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the adoption and signing of the Joint Declaration, and the support and witnessing by the President of the United States, the most powerful country in the world, once again show the importance of this Declaration. I also noted at the press conference today that we did this in the number one capital of the world, in the number one office of the world, with the participation of the most powerful President of the world. Of course, everyone understands how important this is for our country, for the region, and for the wider geography. We restored justice through war. Now we have put an end to this on the political level.

Vusal Matlab: Mr. President, after the Patriotic War you set out certain conditions for Armenia to sign a peace treaty. The first of them was related to the abolition of the OSCE Minsk Group. Today, the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia signed an appeal to the OSCE Secretary General in this regard. The second condition was related to the removal of territorial claims against Azerbaijan from Armenia’s fundamental law, the Constitution. How realistic does this seem in the current situation?

President Ilham Aliyev: I think it seems completely realistic. Because, first of all, I must say that all our conditions are completely logical, reasonable, and legitimate. At various stages, a theory was put forward in Armenian society and ruling circles that Azerbaijan allegedly wanted to interfere in Armenia's internal affairs. This issue was repeatedly raised even during negotiations. Our position was that this should not be perceived as such. This is an issue that directly concerns us. It is an open demand, a claim against our territorial integrity. Therefore, a peace treaty cannot be signed without this being changed.

Our position has always been consistent, logical, and reasonable, and we have never backed down from our position. Because we never set unrealistic or unacceptable conditions for Armenia. But for some reason, our reasonable proposal on the abolition of the Minsk Group was met with a negative reaction. However, we have repeatedly tried to explain that as long as Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and says itself that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, the de jure continuation of the Minsk Group is completely illogical. It has already lost its functional essence, and we will never allow it to be revived in any form or take on a different form. Therefore, I believe that the initialing of the peace agreement and the appeal for the abolition of the Minsk Group have removed the first obstacle. Let me repeat – this peace agreement was initialed in the White House today. Therefore, I have no doubt that when the Constitution of Armenia is changed – the Armenian side is stating itself that such changes should be made – the territorial claim against Azerbaijan will be removed from it. Otherwise, it will be disrespectful to the United States of America, first of all. Everyone knows this, and our position is understood by almost all leading international actors, including the United States of America. Because when a peace agreement is signed, every issue must be resolved and the groundless territorial claims against us must be removed. Therefore, I have no doubts about this issue. Let me reiterate – when this happens is Armenia's own business. We cannot put forward any proposals here. However, I do believe that the sooner the better because I think we can’t waste time. In a situation where Azerbaijan and Armenia have already initialed the peace agreement, its official signing should not take long.

Oubai Shahbandar: Mr. President, your arrival here in Washington, signing this peace deal, and meeting with President Trump has introduced you and Azerbaijan to millions of Americans who, for the first time, are learning about you and Azerbaijan. They perhaps don’t know where Azerbaijan is or have certain misconceptions. How would you respond to some of the concerns in the American media and think tanks about whether Christians will be protected in Karabakh? And how important is this Zangezur corridor, not only for Azerbaijan but also for American trade interests, given the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” has to be established?

President Ilham Aliyev: Yeah, you know, for many years, Azerbaijan was demonized in the United States media, which President Trump fairly calls fake news. These media outlets, like The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, and many others, on a regular basis were spreading rumors about Azerbaijan, attacking us, publishing insulting articles, and actually misleading American public opinion. That was mainly done by representatives of the Armenian lobby, the group which today acts against Armenian interests. And today, instead of being happy about what happens, they are absolutely disappointed because their agenda is completely different. They were responsible for the occupation because their ideas, their advice, their money, and their influence on different Armenian governments played a destructive role for Armenia itself. If not for them and groups like them, Armenia would have been a much more developed country with a solid, independent system, but they just lost time. They lost time occupying our lands, and in the end, they could not keep this occupation forever and actually lost 30 years in their development.

All those rumors and false information about Azerbaijan, for those who know our country, seem absolutely biased, because Azerbaijan is one of the countries famous for its ethnic and religious diversity. All the religious sites are protected by the state. In Azerbaijan, we have never had even a conflict, not even a misunderstanding, on the basis of ethnic or religious differences. On the contrary, Azerbaijan today is one of the centers of multiculturalism, where representatives of different religious and ethnic groups live as one family. So, I think what happened today will also be a good answer to those who still either do not know the reality or deliberately try to create wrong perceptions.

Also, with respect to the land connection between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan: you know how many rumors and provocations we faced during these last five years from leaders of different countries who were spreading rumors that Azerbaijan is planning to attack Armenia, that Azerbaijan is planning to take that part of territory by force. All our messages that this is false information did not work, because this perception was created, including here in Washington.

The driving force behind this Azerbaijan phobia was the Biden administration. We know this for sure because, in our communications with our European partners on many occasions, they told us this information comes from Biden’s team. They were deliberately spreading rumors about Azerbaijan’s so-called aggressive intentions. Even during the first months of President Trump’s administration, there were such narratives. They were coming from representatives of the old team who still stayed in some governmental institutions, whose agenda was influenced either by NGOs like Human Rights Watch, Freedom House—these Azerbaijani critics—or by USAID or Radio Liberty, which President Trump very successfully eliminated and just saved the world from this disaster called USAID.

So this was, for us, a kind of challenge—to explain that this is wrong. We had to explain that we don’t have these intentions. What happened today, in the Joint Declaration signed by the Armenian Prime Minister and myself and witnessed by President Trump, includes a provision exactly reflecting our position: unimpeded access from the main part of Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. It is written there and respects the sovereignty of Armenia. So what we wanted was unimpeded access from one part of Azerbaijan to another part of Azerbaijan. By the way, this was also an obligation of Armenia, signed by them on November 10, 2020. For five years, there was no progress. For five years, there was no physical work on the ground. During these years, we almost brought the railroad to the Armenian border.

It is just maybe less than one year we need, or if we work hard, maybe six months, to bring it completely to the Armenian border. At the same time, we’re starting to rehabilitate the railroad in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. So we need this 40-plus kilometer railroad in order to connect two parts of Azerbaijan. And not only railroads—we think about electric transmission lines. We think about fiber optics. We also think potentially about other energy infrastructure, which will absorb energy resources of Azerbaijan and our neighbors across the Caspian in the future.

All these first of all totally dismantle all anti-Azerbaijani narratives which have been cultivated by the Biden administration and the political infrastructure at their disposal: media, NGOs, USAID, and some corrupt politicians like Menendez, who is today behind bars for corruption. Adam Schiff—I just learned when I arrived that the Maryland prosecutor opened a criminal case against Adam Schiff for mortgage fraud.

You know, these people were attacking Azerbaijan on a regular basis: Menendez, Schiff, Pelosi, Sherman, Markey, and others. Christopher Smith—these people hate Azerbaijan. I don’t know why. Probably because the Armenian lobby pays them for that. They were a group of serious political figures who were working against Azerbaijan on a regular basis.

So today, what has been signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia clearly demonstrates our intentions, and demonstrates that we want peace, but we also want connectivity. We want integration between the two parts of our country with a safe passage, which will bring many opportunities for the broader region and for Armenia itself. At one of the meetings with the Armenian Prime Minister, I said Armenia will have a chance to become a transit country. I said, “You don’t know what it is to be a transit country. You are not, and you can be a transit country only through Azerbaijan.” Without Azerbaijan, there is no way to be a transit country, and you will see the benefits of being a transit country.

We are trying to be a stronger transit country. We want corridors crossing our territory to be more engaged in cargo transportation. This brings money, jobs, and political leverage. These are opportunities which Armenia deprived itself of for many years.

So this transportation route, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), will be another historical achievement. But again, as I said before, we should not lose time. We need to engage as soon as possible. The United States will be managing this facility, and hopefully there will be investors who will undertake these important duties to build these connectivity lines to the benefit of all the nations in the region.

Oubai Shahbandar: Do you see more American investments in energy? Given we saw Chris Wright was at that meeting, at the historical signing ceremony, of course, the Memorandum of Cooperation signed between SOCAR and Exxon.

President Ilham Aliyev: Definitely, this Memorandum of Cooperation between Exxon and SOCAR, I'm sure, will result in a substantial project.

I don't want to say something in advance, but there is a high probability of a big oil discovery in Azerbaijan. As you know, Exxon is a leading energy company in the world and has great experience in modern technologies and also has extensive experience working in Azerbaijan. Exxon joined our Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli project in 1994, and the signing ceremony yesterday here, with the participation of Special Envoy Mr. Witkoff, the Deputy Secretary of Finance of the United States, and myself, actually demonstrates that we believe in the future of this project. Believe me, if we didn't believe, we wouldn’t have participated in the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation. I participate in MoU signings very rarely. I sometimes participate in the signing of contracts, but this is an MoU. But we have a lot of factors, technical factors, in our possession to say that this will be a major discovery of hydrocarbons.

And due to President Trump's vision and policy, today fossil fuel, which has been unfairly discriminated against for the last decade or even more, is back on track. Our team was here in negotiations with international financial institutions, with the EXIM Bank of the United States, with potential financing for fossil fuel projects and for transportation and hydrocarbon transportation infrastructure. So energy will definitely continue to be one of the important parts of our cooperation.

In our MoU which we signed with President Trump, energy has a special place. So when we say energy, it is oil, it is gas, and potentially renewables. Today, Azerbaijan is supplying natural gas to 10 members of NATO, 10 American allies. And with respect to pipeline gas delivery, we cover 14 countries. So in that respect, again about pipeline gas, Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the world. Supplying 10 members of NATO and 10 members of the EU, we just recently started supplying natural gas to Syria. So we have already entered the Middle East region, and will expand our geography in Europe and also in the Middle East.

But this is only one part of our future agenda. We have a lot of hopes to work closely with the United States on artificial intelligence and digital transformation. Already, initial contacts during my visit here between members of our team and American companies took place, with many more to come.

So really, today, we are witnessing a historic day from all points of view: security, stability, peace in the South Caucasus, economic opportunities, investments, energy security, and many others.

Correspondent: That was very impressive, thank you very much, Mr. President.