Azerbaijan at the centre of the new world order First round of the Board of Peace

In Washington, under the chairmanship of U.S. President Donald Trump, the first meeting of the Board of Peace took place, attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

The Board of Peace is positioned as an attempt to establish a new international mechanism for responding to protracted conflicts and humanitarian crises. The agenda of the first meeting focused on developing practical measures to ensure peace, security, and sustainable humanitarian support in regions where traditional global governance tools have proven limited in effectiveness.

Foreign analysts and political scientists shared their assessments with Caliber.Az regarding the outcomes of the first meeting and Azerbaijan’s role in this new international mechanism.

Honoured Ambassador of the World Jewish Agency “Sokhnut,” Israeli political analyst and journalist Roman Gurevich sees the Board of Peace as a new platform in global politics. In his view, this is not about creating yet another international body, but an attempt to reshape the very logic of decision-making at the global level.

“The United Nations is experiencing a crisis of trust among many countries and is increasingly seen as an ineffective body for resolving complex conflicts, and at times even as a structure lacking objectivity. That is why today the creation of alternative, prestigious global platforms at the highest level, capable of responding swiftly and pragmatically to the challenges of global politics, is extremely important,” the expert stated.

According to him, the composition of the founding countries is particularly significant, as they set the institutional framework of the new structure. In this context, Gurevich emphasises Baku’s political success.

“Among the founding countries of the Board of Peace was Azerbaijan—not merely formally, but as a full and active participant in shaping the new world architecture. This is a crucial political signal: Azerbaijan today is at the centre of global politics and demonstrates the highest level of engagement. In fact, one can speak of a co-founding status. In international practice, the first circle of states involved in the creation of a structure defines its agenda, procedures, and reputation.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev participated in the meeting at the invitation of the American side, and it is no coincidence that during the session, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly highlighted Baku’s contribution to advancing the peace agenda in the South Caucasus and stabilising the situation in the region,” the expert noted.

Gurevich adds that, in this way, Azerbaijan is consolidating its status not only as a regional player but also as a broader actor capable of influencing global processes. According to the analyst, this is a logical continuation of a strategic course built over decades.

“Today, Azerbaijan is no longer just a regional player; it is a state with proven negotiation and post-conflict expertise. The Board includes—and will continue to include—countries with diverse interests and strategies, and the fact that Azerbaijan plays a significant role in this format is a direct continuation of the multivector policy laid down by President Heydar Aliyev and successfully carried forward by Ilham Aliyev. This is strategic continuity, which today yields tangible political dividends at the global level,” he emphasised.

Gurevich also focused on the topic of the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, noting that this case was a key argument for including Baku among the main participants of the new platform. In his view, Azerbaijan’s peace agenda is gradually being integrated into a broader international discourse.

“Peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is becoming a significant diplomatic asset for Baku. During the meeting, considerable attention was paid to the normalisation of relations, highlighting the importance of the peace agenda between Baku and Yerevan. The handshake between Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan became a symbol that the results achieved by Azerbaijan are being projected onto the global stage.

Baku’s peace strategy is becoming part of the global discussion and an element of a wider international architecture for conflict resolution — this is no longer exclusively a regional issue,” Gurevich said.

Meanwhile, American journalist and political analyst Andrey Becker believes that in his global political strategy, U.S. President Donald Trump focuses not on abstract concepts of a “global democratic agenda,” but on specific national leaders and states.

“We see that Donald Trump builds relationships with those politicians in whom he sees potential, prospects, and real influence over global processes. This is an approach based on personalised diplomacy, rather than ideological constructs,” the expert noted.

According to him, in Europe, such a partner is Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, while in the broader Eurasian and Middle Eastern context, it is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Becker believes that these leaders will, in the near future, shape the key directions of global politics. In this context, Azerbaijan’s participation in the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington is both natural and strategically significant.

“Azerbaijan’s presence at the first meeting is no coincidence. We are, in essence, witnessing the formation of a new structure that claims a special role in transforming the global order. Each participant here performs a constructive function and acts as one of the moderators of a new political architecture, replacing outdated models.

It is no accident that many European leaders, associated with prolonged political stagnation, were absent from the meeting. In the new configuration of the world order, their influence will diminish. What comes to the forefront are politicians capable of making strategic decisions and shifting the regional balance of power. Among them is Ilham Aliyev, who has managed to turn the situation in the South Caucasus around and today serves as an important mediator in international matters. Alongside him is Viktor Orbán—a politician with a realistic approach, opposing, in his view, outdated European paradigms,” Becker concluded.