Political analyst Farhad Mammadov, in his Telegram channel, commented on the upcoming visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to the United States, calling it historic and momentous both for bilateral relations and for the entire peace process in the region.
According to him, thanks to the time difference, August 8 will last eight hours longer for Azerbaijan, symbolically underlining the importance of the occasion. Aliyev’s visit is expected to lay the foundation for a new level of interaction between Azerbaijan and the United States, as well as to mark the point of no return in the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
A new level in Baku–Washington relations
Mammadov noted that several months before the U.S. elections, President Ilham Aliyev openly stated that his political and ideological views aligned with those of Donald Trump — at a time when Washington was fully under Democratic administration. Trump later posted Aliyev’s words on his own page, emphasizing his respect for him.
During Trump’s presidency, the two leaders maintained regular correspondence, held a phone conversation, and Trump’s personal envoy visited Baku. Mammadov stressed that in modern politics, personal relationships play a key role.
One of the key outcomes of the visit will be the creation of a Strategic Working Group to develop the provisions of the Charter on Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States. Priority areas will include energy, trade, logistics, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, security, and defense. Mammadov pointed out that the agenda contains no trace of the ideologically driven approach of the Biden–Blinken administration.
He recalled that it was President Trump who suspended the unjust Section 907 amendment, which became an important step toward pragmatic and mutually beneficial relations. Mammadov emphasized that Azerbaijan has always pursued a pragmatic course — and now the same approach has prevailed in the United States.
Peace process with Armenia: signing the Declaration and dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group
According to the political analyst, during the visit it is expected that a Joint Declaration will be signed, confirming the peaceful nature of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. In addition, the sides will agree to appeal to the OSCE with a proposal to dissolve the Minsk Group, as well as “take further steps toward the signing and ratification of the mentioned agreement.”
It is particularly significant that all this will take place in the presence of the U.S. President — a country that is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and wields significant influence over most of its members.
Mammadov noted that this also lays the groundwork for meeting Azerbaijan’s second key condition — amending Armenia’s Constitution. The ratification process of the peace treaty is expected to depend on the results of a referendum in Armenia, while the initialed text of the document will ensure the immutability of the agreed provisions.
Zangezur Corridor and security guarantees
The political analyst said that the implementation of the provisions of the Armenia–U.S. agreement includes establishing a special regime for the sole communication route — the Zangezur Corridor — as part of the overall unblocking process. This will be a sovereign decision of Yerevan with U.S. participation, and the unhindered regime and international security guarantees previously mentioned by President Ilham Aliyev will be implemented under this agreement.
A victory of diplomacy and perseverance
Mammadov emphasized that the peace agenda shaped by President Ilham Aliyev was consistent and deliberate: restoring territorial integrity, initiating a peace treaty, agreeing on its text, and taking a principled position on unblocking communications. All these steps were taken under pressure — both on the ground and at the UN Security Council level. However, Aliyev showed resilience and diplomatic composure, promoting Azerbaijan’s position while ignoring threats and blackmail from representatives of the Biden, Macron, Blinken, and Borrell administrations.
“Today, many topics related to the past are being closed, and new topics about the future are opening,” Farhad Mammadov concluded.
