BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 5. The recent meeting between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and a U.S. delegation can be assessed as an important political event clearly showing the current stage and future directions of the interstate relations, political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
"First of all, the high-level and bipartisan composition of the U.S. delegation indicates the continued interest in Azerbaijan in Washington. The participation of members of the Armed Forces and Revenue committees confirms that security, defense, trade, and economic issues are priority topics for the U.S. Congress. The Azerbaijan-Armenia peace agenda held a special place in the meeting. President Ilham Aliyev's calling the agreements reached 'historic' and emphasizing the role of U.S. President Donald Trump in this process indicate that Washington acts as an active mediator in the regional peace process. At the same time, the establishment of trade relations and the opening of transit opportunities demonstrate that the peace agenda is yielding practical results," the analyst said.
Garayev noted that the ideas voiced regarding the TRIPP route can be assessed as a continuation of Azerbaijan's strategy to become a transport and logistics center in the region.
"This corridor both strengthens regional integration and is important in terms of alternative transport routes for the U.S. and the West. The fact that President Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of Section 907 further strengthens the political content of the meeting. This issue shows that the Azerbaijani side is interested in the full normalization of relations with the U.S. and clearly states that the current restrictions no longer correspond to reality. The positive assessment of the suspension of the amendment can also be considered as a political message addressed to members of Congress.
Overall, the meeting shows that Azerbaijan-U.S. relations aren't limited only to regional security but also include future-oriented areas such as energy, the defense industry, education, information technologies, and artificial intelligence. This forms a solid foundation for deeper and institutional cooperation between the parties," the analyst added.
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