Baku cements its role as reliable partner for both East and West From Beijing to Brussels

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev continues to demonstrate a masterful approach to grand geopolitics—an arena in which Azerbaijan has already achieved notable success. Despite its modest size and population, the country is proving that it is possible to play a significant role on the global stage.

The facts speak for themselves.

During President Aliyev’s recent state visit to Beijing, a Joint Statement on the Establishment of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the People’s Republic of China was signed. This follows the announcement of a strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and China last year, made during a meeting between President Aliyev and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Astana, ahead of the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

A joint statement on the establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries has now been signed in Beijing.

“China is ready to work together with Azerbaijan to uphold the international system with the United Nations at its core... and to safeguard international justice and the rule of law,” Chinese President Xi Jinping stated during his meeting with the President of Azerbaijan.

This is more than just high praise for Azerbaijan’s current international standing—it is also a recognition of an undeniable reality.

As the undisputed political, economic, and military leader of the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan holds particular strategic importance for China. And the numbers speak for themselves.

Azerbaijan is China's largest trading partner in the South Caucasus. In 2024, bilateral trade increased by 21%, reaching $3.7 billion. This positive trend has continued into the first quarter of the current year, with trade volume growing by over 37% to exceed $1.02 billion. Investment is also on the rise across a range of sectors, including industry, oil and gas, petrochemicals, green energy, high technology, innovation, and space.

The signing of the joint statement establishing a comprehensive strategic partnership, covering a vast array of areas including the mutual abolition of visas, indicates that trade and economic indicators in Azerbaijan-China relations are set to significantly increase in the near future.

Even more importantly, this is proof of the recognition by one of the world’s leading powers of shared views with Azerbaijan on all key issues, including the prioritization of the principle of territorial integrity of states over all other principles.

China, which traditionally thinks not in terms of immediate gains but with a vision for decades ahead, has recognized Azerbaijan as a reliable partner with whom the present and future can—and must—be planned.

Here is a list of countries with which China has established a comprehensive strategic partnership: France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, Pakistan, India, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Chile, South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

Among the former Soviet states, only Russia holds the same status with China as Azerbaijan.

This group includes both China's neighbors and countries that significantly surpass Azerbaijan in terms of size and population. But, as sports commentators often say, the score is on the board. And it clearly reflects the monumental leap Azerbaijan has made as a key player on the global political stage.

This not only confirms the historic breakthrough in Azerbaijan's relationship with China. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to make an official visit to Azerbaijan on April 28, 2025, at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev. This will be Pezeshkian’s first visit to Baku since his election in 2024. The Iranian delegation is expected to consist of 110 to 120 members, including senior officials, representatives from the private sector, businessmen, as well as governors of Iranian provinces bordering Azerbaijan, particularly Ardabil.

Earlier in April, Iran’s presidential advisor for political affairs, Mehdi Sanaei, visited Baku, where he was received by President Ilham Aliyev and Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

Now, as a logical continuation of this visit, the arrival of the Iranian president is anticipated. The main goal is to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the economic sphere.

The discussions are expected to focus on trade, cross-border cooperation, and the implementation of joint infrastructure projects. The Iranian side emphasizes the historical, cultural, and religious ties between the two countries, calling the visit "a new chapter" in their relations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also expected to visit Azerbaijan in the near future, according to Israel Hayom. The exact date of the visit has not yet been determined.

“The visit follows ‘technical talks’ held in Baku two weeks ago between senior Israeli and Turkish delegations, aimed at preventing military friction between the two countries in Syrian territory,” writes Israel Hayom.

Thus, it is likely that Azerbaijan will host the leaders of both Iran and Israel in succession. Moreover, it is not ruled out that Azerbaijan will play a key role as a mediator in the conflict between Iran and Israel—much like it has acted as a mediator in the normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel.

This reflects the new reality and the current status of Azerbaijan on the global political stage. Without a doubt, this is being closely monitored and analyzed in the United States. It is clear that the outcome of this analysis will lead to the recognition of the need for deeper and broader ties with Azerbaijan—a country that has demonstrated its ability to execute global transportation projects, such as Baku–Tbilisi–Kars, despite attempts to undermine them.

In the United States, as well as in China and Europe, Azerbaijan's ability to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity through military-political means has been recognized. Azerbaijan has become the only country in the post-Soviet space that has resolved a conflict that all three co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group would have preferred to see "frozen" forever.

At the same time, Azerbaijan has long established itself as a reliable partner for Europe in matters of energy security. In this context, it is worth noting the upcoming visit to Baku by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, tentatively scheduled for April 25, according to information on the official European Union website.

To summarize, Azerbaijan has always adhered to the principles of stability and consistency, avoiding swings between geopolitical extremes. Internal political stability remains the guarantee for the country’s development.

And what about Armenia? Having pursued territorial claims against Azerbaijan since the moment it gained independence, Armenia lost the war and is now reluctantly pretending to be "peaceful."

Armenia has remained outside of the largest oil, gas, and transportation projects, and its independence is limited by the presence of a Russian military base.

Aspiring to join the EU while remaining a member of the  Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Armenia confuses the entire world.

Internal political instability, nationalism, and the burning of Turkish and Azerbaijani flags in the center of Yerevan—all of this indicates Armenia's unwillingness to normalize relations with its neighbors.

Thus, Armenia's future seems to be one of being a regional outcast, remembered only by countries like France, which uses it as a pawn in a long-lost game.