BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 9. President Ilham
Aliyev visited the United States on August 7–8, 2025, and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement
summarizing the outcomes of the visit., Trend reports.
The statement notes that during the visit, the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and the United States 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 Charter on
Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the
United States of America,” aimed at bringing bilateral relations to
the level of strategic partnership.
According to the Memorandum of Understanding, it is planned to
establish a Strategic Working Group between the two countries over
the next 6 months to prepare a Charter of Strategic Partnership
that will help strengthen strategic partnership in areas of mutual
interest. Within the framework of the Strategic Working Group, it
is planned to give priority attention to such areas as regional
relations, including energy, trade, and transit; economic
investments, including artificial intelligence and digital
infrastructure; as well as defense, security, and the fight against
terrorism. This is of particular importance in terms of creating an
institutional framework for bilateral practical cooperation.
The report emphasizes that the visit was also marked by the US
president signing an executive order suspending Amendment 907 to
the Freedom Support Act during the meeting between the two
presidents. The suspension by the US president during his meeting
with President Ilham Aliyev of Amendment 907, which is a negative
legacy of the past in relations between Azerbaijan and the US, has
important symbolic significance.
Moreover, it was added that the visit of the President of the
Republic of Azerbaijan to the United States was also marked by
important results in the context of the normalization of relations
between Azerbaijan and Armenia. During the visit, a summit of the
leaders of Azerbaijan, the United States, and Armenia was held,
following which the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as
the President of the United States, signed a Joint Declaration as a
witness. In addition, the Foreign Ministers of both countries
initialed the draft “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and
Interstate Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the
Republic of Armenia,” and signed a joint letter addressing the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office on the completion of the OSCE Minsk Process and
related structures.
It was noted that the signing of the Joint Declaration following
the Washington meeting confirmed the peace agenda put forward by
Azerbaijan. Within the framework of the provision on initialing the
draft “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate
Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of
Armenia”, it was determined that additional measures should be
taken to sign and ratify the Agreement. In this context, the
Azerbaijani side expects amendments to the Armenian Constitution to
sign the Agreement and eliminate territorial claims against
Azerbaijan.
Another important provision of the Joint Declaration is the
provision on opening transport links between the two countries. It
emphasizes the need to ensure unhindered communication between the
main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic as
part of opening communications in the region.
The document also states that a special communications project
will be implemented on the territory of Armenia – “Trump’s route
for international peace and prosperity”. This provision provides
for the implementation by the United States of a project to ensure
unhindered communication between the main part of Azerbaijan and
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of
Armenia.
The joint appeal to the OSCE Chairman-in-Office to shut down the
OSCE Minsk Process and related structures is another important step
toward removing one of the most serious obstacles to peace and
normalization, which has been on Azerbaijan’s agenda since
2020.
In addition, during the visit, with the participation of the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Special Envoy of
the President of the United States, a Memorandum of Cooperation was
signed between SOCAR and ExxonMobil Corporation. The document
defines potential areas of cooperation aimed at strengthening
existing positive relations between the companies and assessing oil
and gas production opportunities in the Republic of Azerbaijan,
both in unconventional and conventional sources.
Thus, the agreements reached between Azerbaijan and the US
during the Azerbaijani President’s visit to the US and the results
of the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and
Armenia are of historical significance,” the statement of the
Foreign Ministry emphasizes.
