Hungarian PM’s iron will at Turkic Summit, and another scandal at White House Weekly review by Caliber.Az 

Caliber.Az presents another episode of “Sobitiya” (Events) show with Azerbaijani political analyst Murad Abiyev, featuring a comprehensive overview of the week’s top stories related to Azerbaijan and other countries.

AZERBAIJAN - ARMENIA

The second informal summit of the Organisation of Turkic States took place in Budapest, Hungary, marking a significant diplomatic event in the heart of Europe. The gathering of Turkic world leaders—even in an informal format likely struck a nerve with certain Turkophobic and Islamophobic elites within the EU.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán once again demonstrated his resolve as the leader of a sovereign nation, unwilling to compromise his country’s independence for the sake of Brussels' bureaucratic interests.   This was precisely the point emphasized by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during a joint press conference with Orbán ahead of the summit.

“My friend Victor Orbán has always put the state and national interests of Hungary above everything else. We applaud this. He has always protected the interests of Hungary, joined initiatives that were beneficial to Hungary, and always avoided initiatives that were not. I repeat, pursuing this policy within the European Union, I can say, requires enormous heroism, requires political will, and requires a thought-out policy,” President Aliyev emphasised.

For his part, Orbán stated that without the support of the Turkic states, Hungary would be facing significant challenges in ensuring its energy security — referring primarily to the supply of Azerbaijani natural gas. President Aliyev’s address at the summit of the Organisation of Turkic States underscored Azerbaijan’s pivotal role in major integration projects across the vast Eurasian region and effectively highlighted the country’s unifying function within the Organisation.  

The president specifically highlighted Azerbaijan’s substantial investments in developing the transport infrastructure of its segment of the Middle Corridor, as well as over $20 billion in investments made in fellow member states of the Organisation. In this context, he also pointed to a key upcoming milestone — the official launch of the Turkic Investment Fund, expected to begin operations later this year. The Budapest Declaration was adopted at the summit, outlining a roadmap for future cooperation among member states. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Yerevan. 

In response to provocative questions from Armenian journalists, he bluntly stated that Russian-supplied weapons had been used by Armenia to occupy and maintain control over seven districts surrounding the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. As is well known, Moscow does not apply the term "occupation" to the territory of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Moreover, Lavrov reiterated how, following the 44-day second Karabakh war and the signing of the Trilateral Statement, the Kremlin had intended to freeze the status of part of this territory, effectively deferring its final resolution to future generations. 

As if deferring the problem to future generations were some kind of heroic act. But that’s not the main issue. The key point is that Lavrov once again accused Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of allegedly conceding positions and recognizing Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. In doing so, Moscow once again portrayed itself as a more staunch defender of Armenian interests than Armenia’s own leadership, subtly signaling to Pashinyan that he should not get too comfortable. The visit of Russia’s top diplomat served as another demonstration of Armenia’s diminished autonomy and a clear reminder that courting the West carries serious consequences. 

UKRAINE - RUSSIA

The negotiation process over Ukraine has once again reached an impasse. Pope Leo XIV proposed continuing the talks at the Vatican. This initiative received support from Kyiv, its European partners, and even Washington. However, the Russians rejected the proposal, arguing that they were comfortable with Istanbul as a venue and, moreover, that it was inappropriate for two Orthodox parties to negotiate in the heart of the Catholic world.   Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the creation of a so-called buffer zone along the borders with Ukraine. This move effectively outlines the expected contours of a Russian summer offensive in the short term.

According to some observers, this offensive has already begun, as evidenced by the renewed operations of Russian armed forces in Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv regions. It can be assumed that this operation aims to divert Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attention and break through key fronts to fully occupy at least some of four regions that Russia has annexed. The primary focus, of course, is on the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. This represents the minimal territorial gain Moscow can present to its public as a victory. Without achieving this, there would be little point for Russia to engage in negotiations. 

MIDDLE EAST

Israel has launched a full-scale operation in Gaza called “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” aiming to establish control over the entire Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, intense bombing raids on the territory have continued unabated since March 18, with each strike resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is also deteriorating.

Tel Aviv is restricting the supply of humanitarian aid into Gaza, citing concerns that Hamas controls its distribution, which in turn helps maintain the organisation’s authority among Palestinians. Reports warn that the situation could become critical in the coming days. Amid growing international isolation of Israel, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada have threatened to impose sanctions on Tel Aviv. However, it is anticipated that, perhaps in defiance of European leaders, Trump will move quickly to reconcile with Netanyahu. 

At that moment, two Israeli diplomats were assassinated in Washington. Of course, Trump called the Israeli prime minister to express condolences. According to reports, the sides also discussed the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, the dismantling of Hamas, and the advancement of the American plan to transform the Palestinian enclave. While Washington and Tel Aviv may differ in their stance on Iran, when it comes to Gaza, it is clear that both leaders share a similar vision for its future. 

US – South Africa

There was another scandal in the Oval Office of the White House. While the incident with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at least appeared spontaneous on the surface, this time the US president acted theatricality. Trump was hosting South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and as they were discussing golf, Trump suddenly pulled out a stack of papers and waved them in Ramaphosa’s face, claiming they documented cases of white farmers killed in South Africa. It was later revealed that some of the images Trump showed were actually taken in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Additionally, the video presented to the South African leader did not depict the graves of white farmers, as Trump had claimed, but rather a temporary memorial erected in their honor. However, despite these inaccuracies and misrepresentations, the fact remains that white farmers are indeed killed in South Africa. This is a complex issue that cannot be simplistically labeled as ethnic cleansing by the country’s leadership.

South Africa is grappling with widespread crime, and white farmers, due to their geographic isolation, often become easy targets. Still, there is one important lesson President Ramaphosa should take to heart — it is inappropriate to discuss golf when your country is plagued by roving bands of criminals.