Baku elevates ties with US, China, and EU to strategic level

Over the past two years, Azerbaijan has elevated its relations with the United States, China, and the European Union to the level of strategic partnerships, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev stated at the CAMCA 2026 Regional Forum in Baku.

Hajiyev noted that Baku and Beijing have established a comprehensive strategic partnership with tangible outcomes already materializing. Addressing US–Azerbaijan relations, he emphasized that last year's Washington summit went well beyond the Armenia–Azerbaijan normalization track, serving as a platform to elevate bilateral ties strategically after years of perceived disengagement by earlier US administrations. Calling the bilateral peace process the "Camp David of the South Caucasus," Hajiyev expressed confidence that subsequent administrations in Washington would preserve this strategic regional trajectory. He highlighted the TRIPP corridor as a concrete pillar of this cooperation, likening it to a continental "Panama Canal" for Eurasian connectivity.

On EU relations, Hajiyev remarked that Brussels' unbalanced posture following the 2023 Karabakh military operations has been overcome, enabling ties to regain strategic depth. Discussing regional diplomacy, he affirmed that relations with Russia and Iran remain stable under good-neighborly principles, though tightening international sanctions on both neighboring economies inevitably exert collateral pressure on regional commerce. Highlighting Azerbaijan’s commitment to strategic autonomy, Hajiyev underscored that Baku maintains balanced diplomacy without exclusivity—sustaining ties with Israel while preserving its principled stance backing a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital. He reiterated that Azerbaijani territory will never be used against any neighboring state and reaffirmed pride in having zero foreign military presence within the country.

Aytac