BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14. An independent online platform for opinions and analytics The Liberum has published an article highlighting President Ilham Aliyev’s key messages on peace, regional security, and Azerbaijan’s international role delivered during the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum.
According to the publication, President Ilham Aliyev used the forum to present Azerbaijan’s vision of peace based on sovereignty, responsibility, and regional cooperation.
"The most striking thread running through the President's remarks was an insistence that peace, once achieved, must be actively protected rather than passively enjoyed," the article states.
The publication notes that President Ilham Aliyev reiterated his long-standing position that countries should never accept occupation, recalling Azerbaijan’s own experience during the restoration of its territorial integrity and emphasizing that this principle also underpins Baku’s consistent support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
The Liberum also highlights the President’s view that ending military operations once legitimate objectives have been achieved is a sign of responsible leadership rather than weakness.
"The pairing of these two messages - never legitimise occupation, but know when to stop fighting - is not a contradiction so much as a distillation of Baku's own post-2020 experience," the article says.
The publication further notes President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks on the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, including his assessment of the Trump administration’s role in helping move negotiations forward, as well as his comments on the TRIPP corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which he described as a project capable of reshaping regional connectivity.
The article also highlights President Ilham Aliyev’s assessment of Azerbaijan’s growing role in international affairs, saying the country has developed into a middle power capable of defending its interests and serving as a trusted mediator.
In addition, The Liberum draws attention to the President’s remarks on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and what he described as double standards in international politics, linking them to the forum’s broader theme of restoring truth and rebuilding trust.
"Taken together, the President's messages from Shusha reflect a country that sees itself less as a passive beneficiary of a shifting regional order than as an active shaper of it," the article reads.
