Baku–Washington: A new phase in strategic partnership Global eyes on Vance in Azerbaijan

The visit of U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance to Azerbaijan has received extensive coverage in the international media. Foreign outlets have assessed the significance of the trip and its potential geopolitical implications. They emphasise that the visit comes against the backdrop of peace agreements reached last year in Washington between Azerbaijan and Armenia and is seen as an attempt by the U.S. to strengthen its presence in the South Caucasus. It is worth noting that during the visit, a Charter on Strategic Partnership was signed between Baku and Washington.

Thus, Euronews describes the visit as historic and highlights that the strategic partnership focuses on economic, security, energy and technology cooperations in what Aliyev called “an absolutely new phase” between Azerbaijan and the US, while Vance said it is time “to 'create prosperity where once there was only fighting and conflict”.

Euronews is paying special attention to the project “Trump’s Route for International Peace and Prosperity.”

“TRIPP will enable the development of land, maritime and air transport infrastructure, trade facilitation, customs procedures and multimodal logistics systems to provide regional stability through enhanced economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the US,” it says.

Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle observes in its report that, during his visit to Baku, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance asserted that the US would be sending an undisclosed number of "new boats" to Azerbaijan to help with "territorial waters protection" in the Caspian Sea.

Vance said the agreement "will formalize that partnership and make it very clear that the United States-Azerbaijan relationship is one that will stick."

Part of Vance's trip is consolidating a US-brokered peace process that was seen as a major step towards ending decades of war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Karabakh.

The article also mentions the TRIPP transport corridor. It writes that, “Washington is presenting TRIPP as a confidence-building measure for regional peace, and Azerbaijan has said the opening of regional communications is an important precondition for signing a comprehensive peace treaty with Armenia.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper The Jerusalem Post also highlighted the visit of the U.S. Vice President to Baku.

Article says that, “Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Israel. It is also very important for global trade and an economic powerhouse, as well as a rising military power.”

“Baku’s wealth from energy trade has enabled it to achieve its foreign policy goals, despite the fact that it is in a difficult neighbourhood with Iran to the south and Russia to the north. Baku enjoys warm ties with Ankara. The high-level visit, aimed at achieving a possible peace, demonstrates Washington’s commitment to that part of the world.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev