SHUSHA, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed President Donald Trump as a uniquely effective peacemaker whose fundamentally different approach to diplomacy proved decisive in securing the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement and ushered in what he described as an unprecedented new era of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations.
Aliyev made the remarks Monday during the opening session of the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum, a major international gathering that brought together hundreds of journalists, media executives, policymakers, and other participants from more than 50 countries. Responding to a Breitbart News question about what distinguished Trump’s approach from previous administrations in bringing Azerbaijan and Armenia to a historic U.S.-brokered peace agreement reached at the White House last August, the Azerbaijani president credited Trump’s success to a fundamentally different approach to resolving long-running conflicts.
The Azerbaijani president argued that previous administrations spent nearly three decades pursuing policies that effectively froze the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict rather than resolving it, while Trump approached the conflict from an entirely different perspective.
Describing Trump as “a person who loves peace” who “sees peace as an opportunity,” Aliyev said Trump’s role proved decisive as Azerbaijan and Armenia reached the final stage of negotiations on a peace agreement. According to Aliyev, Trump and his team understood Azerbaijan’s concerns, worked to persuade Armenia that peace served both countries’ interests and ultimately “created such a framework that peace became possible.”
Aliyev pointed to the White House summit last August, where President Donald Trump hosted him and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the leaders signed a Joint Declaration while the countries’ foreign ministers initialed the peace agreement. The agreement also established a joint United States-Azerbaijani working group tasked with implementing its provisions over the following six months, a process Aliyev said reflected the Trump administration’s commitment to seeing the agreement through.
Aliyev said the Trump administration followed through on the commitments made at the White House through the work of the joint implementation group. “For the first time in my experience, American officials kept their word so strictly,” he said.
Aliyev said the successful implementation paved the way for a broader Strategic Partnership Declaration between Washington and Baku, elevating United States-Azerbaijani relations to what he later described as an “unprecedented” level.
Reflecting on the strengthened relationship, he said, “This is amazing. This is unbelievable. This is something which we could only dream about,” saying the expanded partnership had opened a new chapter in cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan.
Aliyev contrasted Trump’s approach with that of previous American administrations, saying they pursued policies that kept the conflict frozen rather than resolving it. By contrast, he said, the Trump administration viewed peace as an achievable objective and worked toward a lasting settlement instead of preserving the status quo.
Aliyev said that approach continued under the Biden administration. Recalling that then-Sen. Joe Biden supported sanctions against Azerbaijan, he said those earlier positions contributed to what he described as years of strained relations between Washington and Baku. Under Trump, by contrast, he said bilateral ties have reached their “peak” and an “unprecedented” level.
Aliyev said Trump’s approach to the South Caucasus reflected what he described as the president’s broader approach to international diplomacy. Calling Trump “a person who loves peace” and “sees peace as an opportunity,” Aliyev said those qualities define the president’s character, vision, and approach to resolving conflicts. He also pointed to Trump’s own assertion that he has helped resolve multiple international conflicts, saying Azerbaijan’s experience demonstrated how that approach translated into tangible diplomatic results.
Aliyev concluded by expressing gratitude to Trump and members of his team, including Steve Witkoff and Aryeh Lightstone, whom he credited with playing a crucial role alongside the president in helping bring peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.