Goals and scope: Azerbaijani president talks sovereignty, strategy, global ambitions On Aliyev’s interview with Chinese television

On February 11, the Chinese television channel CGTN (China Global Television Network) broadcast an interview with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, conducted on January 20 in Davos, Switzerland.

During the interview, Aliyev answered a number of questions about the country's policies and its role in the world. At the outset, the President emphasized the full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty as the most significant achievement. He specifically highlighted that Azerbaijan had achieved this based on the norms and principles of international law, in accordance with the UN Charter and the resolutions of the UN Security Council. Aliyev also stated that "for almost 30 years, this was our national idea, and we mobilized all our efforts to achieve our goal and restore justice." 

The President noted that international law and organizations did not assist, and the resolutions adopted by numerous international organizations remained on paper. "We had to resolve it ourselves and restore justice on our own. This once again demonstrates that what the world really needs now is full respect for international commitments," added Aliyev.

Speaking about Azerbaijan's prospects in a multipolar world, Ilham Aliyev pointed to large-scale projects that have created opportunities for communication within the region. "We are well-established in the region of South Caucasus and Caspian, to which we belong. Definitely, we've been strongly defending our national interests, our lifestyle, our independent policy, and achieved a lot of successes. I would say the example of Azerbaijan - a country that is relatively new on the international map, defending its national interests and establishing good contacts around the globe - demonstrates that when you have stability and unity in your society, you can defend your interests," said President Ilham Aliyev.

The President particularly emphasized the fact that last year, China and Azerbaijan officially became strategic partners: " After the meeting between the President of China and myself last summer, a corresponding Declaration on Strategic Partnership was adopted. This is a very important political step in our bilateral relationship. Strategic partnership is a very high level of mutual trust and cooperation. We are looking forward to expanding our partnership with China, including in the issues related to our membership in different international organizations."

Highlighting Azerbaijan's successful policy in a changing world, President Aliyev specifically pointed to its multivector approach. In addition to the aforementioned Declaration on Strategic Partnership with China, the head of state cited similar declarations with ten European Union members, as well as declarations of alliance signed with Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Russia, adding that practical results exist for each of these directions. "Contribution of Azerbaijan to regional stability and regional peace in a broader geography, rather than just Central Asia, the Caspian, and the South Caucasus - is something that is already being appreciated by global international actors," noted Aliyev.

The head of state also noted that another manifestation of Azerbaijan's successful positioning in the world was the selection of the country to host the COP29 climate summit, a decision approved by all parties, including countries and international organizations. The President remarked that organizing the conference, bringing together almost 200 countries, was a major challenge, a significant responsibility, and a great success. Continuing the discussion on the climate summit, President Aliyev emphasized that one of the key objectives was to build stronger bridges between the Global South and the Global North. In this context, Aliyev addressed the issue of small island states, which, due to global warming, face the threat of extinction. 

The President highlighted Azerbaijan's initiative, which led to the inclusion of these countries' issues on the agenda. "It is obvious that without a consolidated approach from big actors, it will be difficult to support these countries. These countries don't have the financial resources to address climate issues. I think the responsibility of the countries that take on this burden is to do more work. The Global South is absolutely and objectively waiting for more support from the wealthiest countries in the world," added the President of Azerbaijan.

Expanding on the topic of international cooperation, Aliyev noted that at the already mentioned COP29, Azerbaijan signed an agreement with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to build an energy cable across the Caspian Sea bed, also highlighting the possibility of involving the People's Republic of China in this project.

Of course, the head of state could not overlook the Middle Corridor, emphasizing that Azerbaijan's position is not only to be a transit country and receive more revenue from transit but, more importantly, "to build facilities on the route in Azerbaijan and help the private sector take advantage of that." The President specifically highlighted the strengthening of relations between China and Azerbaijan within the framework of strategic partnership. Ilham Aliyev pointed to the updating of the infrastructure of the Azerbaijani segment of the Middle Corridor and the need to increase the capacity of the new trade port to 25 million tons within 5-6 years, adding that "we are financing the expansion of our trade sea port and our railroad infrastructure."

A separate point of interest was President Ilham Aliyev's response to a journalist's question about expectations from Western policy following the change in the White House administration. The President noted that during the first term of President Trump, Azerbaijan's relations with the United States developed very successfully, "unlike the last four years, when it completely deteriorated due to the unfair and unjust approach of the Biden administration toward Azerbaijan." Aliyev referred to the previous four-year period as a lost time in U.S.-Azerbaijani relations and emphasized that he expects the resumption of cooperation with the United States. The President expressed his view that the world could become much safer and connected his thought to the fact that during President Trump's first term, the United States did not start any wars.

In summary, it can be noted that Ilham Aliyev's speech reflected confidence in Azerbaijan's growing status on the global stage and its ability to address complex issues both in the economy and in global politics. This was demonstrated by the interest shown by the Chinese television channel in Azerbaijan's role and the personality of its leader.