Baku and Washington return to crisis-free relations

On Monday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev called US President Donald Trump. The Azerbaijani leader congratulated Trump on his re-election as President of the United States and expressed confidence that the American people's choice would play an even more important role in ensuring global security.

The words of the Azerbaijani president that, during his first term, Donald Trump paid special attention to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States attracted significant attention.

There is no exaggeration in these words. During Trump's presidency, there were no crises between Washington and Baku, unlike the almost constant tensions during the four years of the Democratic administration. The Biden administration's complete lack of a pragmatic approach to the region has led to a deterioration in US relations with its traditional and reliable partner in the South Caucasus. Donald Trump is often criticized for running politics like a businessman, but the previous US administration lacked even this kind of pragmatic approach.

In April 2018, while congratulating Ilham Aliyev on his re-election as president, Trump wrote: "I look forward to working with you on many areas of mutual interest for the American and Azerbaijani peoples. Together, we can make progress in combating terrorism, creating new jobs, and improving energy security in Europe."

In 2019, in a message to Azerbaijan's president in connection with the opening of the International Caspian Oil and Gas Exhibition, the US president wrote that "Azerbaijan has never been as prosperous or as connected to the global economy in its history as it is today. The oil and gas produced in Azerbaijan, including the Southern Gas Corridor, continue to enhance stability in global energy markets."

"It's time to expand the success of your country," Trump wrote, promising US support and expressing a desire to continue cooperation.

Relations between the two countries were not limited to ceremonial pleasantries, but were always filled with practical content. The two sides demonstrated mutual understanding. One example is Trump's reaction to the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War. Despite the fact that Armenia's European supporters, as they say, were in an uproar, Washington remained aloof from the Western hysteria. The American Armenian community was outraged and felt insulted. When asked about what was happening in the South Caucasus, Trump famously said that resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan was "an easy case," and promised that the United States would work on it.

"I call it an 'easy case.' We'll figure it out. Go and tell that to your people... It’s easy if you know what you're doing," Trump said at a rally in New Hampshire.

Trump indeed knew what he was doing, choosing the most appropriate stance—non-interference.

In his first term, Trump championed the "America First" doctrine, which was highly unconventional for the United States. Many are now wondering whether this approach will persist, and what policy the US will adopt toward our region.

It is unlikely that this policy can be worse than the one pursued by the previous administration, with its obvious and shameless pro-Armenian bias. Although Trump's team includes many pro-Armenian figures, the president himself remains the decisive factor. Moreover, Trump is, first and foremost, a businessman—an experienced and successful one and only secondarily a politician. His approaches, therefore, should be pragmatic. Even his showdown with China is not the result of ideological differences, but rather a desire to suppress a serious business competitor.

Azerbaijan cannot be considered a direct economic competitor to the United States, but it can once again become a reliable partner in this part of the world. The Afghan campaign is over, but security issues are still far from resolved. At the same time, there is hope that under Donald Trump, the US will stop interfering so crudely in the internal affairs of other countries and fueling conflicts.

Answering questions from participants of the Second Shusha Global Media Forum, President Ilham Aliyev recalled one important aspect of Trump's policy:

"Under his leadership, America did not start wars. There was no Vietnam, Korea, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, Syria none of these, as they say, to be continued. This was not the case during that period. It is worth treating this with great respect."

The Azerbaijani president's assessment is sincere. He also said: "During Trump's presidency, we had very fruitful cooperation based on mutual respect and recognition of each other's support in various areas. Our relations with the United States remained fairly stable, despite the ups and downs that were not initiated by us. There were high expectations from Azerbaijan that were not fulfilled... Nevertheless, we have always viewed these relations as strategic and important and have sought to be as useful as possible, including our participation in the so-called peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan."

It should be noted that in early November, President Ilham Aliyev already sent congratulations to his newly elected American counterpart. The message emphasized that during Trump's first term, bilateral partnership had developed based on mutual trust and support. Special mention was made of Trump's constant and resolute backing of Azerbaijan's energy strategy.

"Using the enormous potential of our cooperation with the United States, we are determined to further expand and deepen our bilateral partnership in all areas, including political, economic, energy, security, green and digital transitions, and others. We believe that during your new presidential term, relations between Azerbaijan and the United States will further strengthen, and new areas of cooperation will emerge," the president wrote.

It's not about the size of a country, but about its capabilities and the authority of its leader. These aspects are perfectly combined in Azerbaijan. The country's place on the world stage is evident from the recently concluded COP29, and President Ilham Aliyev's authority is indisputable even among Azerbaijan's adversaries.

During the Shusha Media Forum, President Ilham Aliyev also highlighted another important aspect—Donald Trump's clear position on traditional values.

"I think that the absolute majority of the Azerbaijani people not only share this position but actively promote it and implement it in practice," he said diplomatically.

Trump has never hidden his stance on the new gender policies of the West. In 2022, after the Biden administration announced that Americans could choose their gender on their passports (!), Trump said at a student forum that there are only two genders—man and woman. Recently, news about Trump's plans to ban transgender people from joining the military caused quite a stir. He had issued a similar decree in 2018 during his first term. This time, the decree will be stricter and will require the dismissal of all non-traditional military personnel, including veterans.

Americans also support Trump's position, as evidenced by a poll conducted several years ago, which showed that 75 percent of U.S. citizens agreed with Trump's approach to gender issues. Moreover, the views of the head of such a powerful country as the United States on this matter are of interest to the East. Support for traditional values is a strong point of Trump's policy, which resonates with countries and leaders who do not wish to join the ideological excesses promoted by influential Western circles in recent years.

Azerbaijan has always openly opposed the distortion of traditional values. This is one of the reasons why Baku faces external pressure. There has never been a need to actively fight against non-traditional values in Azerbaijan, as society itself has always rejected them. They simply do not take root here. However, President Ilham Aliyev has had to endure the "blows" of external forces and propaganda, making statements that are unpopular from a Western perspective. In his inaugural speech earlier this year, the president stated that "the state and every family must be tasked with educating our youth in the national spirit, based on traditional values, and completely eliminating 'progressive' and foreign values from our society."

Few dare to speak out against these unhealthy trends. In addition to President Ilham Aliyev, Turkish President Erdogan, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i?, and others speak out boldly. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is equally determined, stating that "the dominant world ideology fears traditional family values because they represent human identity." And she's right. Traditional values form the foundation of a healthy society. A few years ago, Hungary passed a law defining marriage as exclusively a union between a man and a woman. This law sparked outrage in the European Union and among LGBT activists, and Orban still cannot forget this "non-European" behavior. Vu?i?, too, ignores the EU's protests, stating that "the republic is developing traditional values, and I will not approve any legal act supporting the LGBT community while I hold the office of head of state."

Unfortunately, the topic of LGBT rights, which is very personal and even medical in nature, has become a significant influence in international politics in recent years, turned into a sort of "passport" to the so-called "civilized world." This pass is denied to countries that do not want to corrupt their societies. Just look at Georgia, where a storm has erupted over the law banning LGBT propaganda, with the Biden administration actively pressuring the Georgian government.

This is why the stance of the new US administration is so important—not only on traditional values but on many other aspects of the international agenda. Although the world is no longer the same as it was four years ago, relations between Azerbaijan and the United States under Donald Trump were characterized by stability, mutual respect, and a commitment to traditional values—distinct from the policies of the previous US administration. Azerbaijan, thanks to its strategic position, energy capabilities, and commitment to traditional values, remains a reliable partner for countries seeking constructive cooperation. Trump's second term may mark a new phase in strengthening bilateral ties, opening up opportunities for further cooperation in security, economy, energy, and the protection of universal values.