The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan has published information on the outcomes of President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the United States on August 7–8.
According to the information, “As part of the visit, the presidents of the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United States of America on the establishment of a strategic working group to prepare a Strategic Partnership Charter between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America, aimed at elevating relations between Azerbaijan and the United States to the level of a strategic partnership.”
According to the Memorandum of Understanding, a Strategic Working Group between the two countries is planned to be established within the next six months to prepare the Strategic Partnership Charter.
Within the framework of the Strategic Working Group, priority attention will be given to areas such as regional connectivity, including energy, trade, and transit; economic investments, including artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure; as well as defense, security, and counterterrorism. This is especially important for creating an institutional framework for practical bilateral cooperation.
A key highlight of the visit was also an Executive Order signed by the U.S. President on extension of waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, during the bilateral meeting of two Presidents. The waiver of this amendment—a negative legacy in Azerbaijan-U.S. relations—during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit, holds profound symbolic significance.
The visit also yielded substantial outcomes in the context of the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process. A trilateral summit was held involving the leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia, culminating in the signing of a Joint Declaration by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and by the President of the United States as a witness. Furthermore, the Foreign Ministers of both countries initialed the Draft Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter State Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, and signed a joint letter of appeal addressed to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office requesting the closure of the OSCE Minsk Process and its related structures.
The signing of the Joint Declaration in Washington reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s peace agenda. Within the framework of the provision regarding the initialing of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, it was acknowledged that further actions are required to achieve the signing and ratification of the Agreement. In this context, to enable the signing of the Agreement, the Azerbaijani side expects that amendments will be made to the Constitution of Armenia in order to eliminate territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Another noteworthy provision in the Joint Declaration is the commitment to opening transportation and communication links between the two countries. It emphasizes the necessity of ensuring an unimpeded connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
The document also sets forth a special connectivity project to be implemented within Armenian territory: the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” This initiative, led by the United States, aims to establish an unimpeded connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic via the territory of Armenia.
The joint appeal to the current OSCE Chairperson for the closure of the OSCE Minsk Process and its related structures represents another important step toward removing one of the most serious obstacles to peace and normalization—an issue that has been continuously on Azerbaijan’s agenda since 2020.
Moreover, within the framework of the visit, in the presence of the President of Azerbaijan and the U.S. President’s Special Envoy, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between SOCAR and ExxonMobil corporation. The document covers potential areas of cooperation to strengthen positive relations between companies and to assess opportunities for developing both unconventional and conventional oil and gas resources in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
“Thus, the agreements reached between Azerbaijan and the United States during the Azerbaijan President’s visit to the United States, along with the outcomes of the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, carry historic significance.”
