President Aliyev highlights Azerbaijan’s achievements in D8 membership, COP29, and economic growth Calls for regional peace

In a wide-ranging interview with local TV channels on January 7, President Ilham Aliyev addressed Azerbaijan’s recent diplomatic and economic milestones, as well as advancements in the social sphere.

The president underscored the significance of Azerbaijan’s recent acceptance into the D8 Organization for Economic Cooperation, emphasizing its importance for the country’s global standing, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“Azerbaijan's acceptance into D8 once again demonstrates the authority of our country,” said President Aliyev. He noted that Azerbaijan was the first member to be accepted following the organization’s initial expansion decision, nearly three decades after its establishment.

“There are about 60 Muslim countries in the world, and Azerbaijan has been elected as a new member. Of course, this is both a great honor and a great responsibility for us,” he added.

Turning to COP29, which Azerbaijan hosted last year, the President expressed concerns about the absence of the President of the European Commission, whose participation had been confirmed months in advance.

“This was the first COP where the President of the European Commission did not attend, though the participation of the President of the Commission was confirmed a couple of months before,” he said.

“There was a lot of time to come. By the way, the Secretary-General of the United Nations came twice: at the opening and at the closing. But again, this message was ignored by the European Commission. Of course, COP29 did not suffer from that, but the absence of the European Commission, which is a party to COP, of course, raises a lot of questions,” noted the president.

On Azerbaijan’s economic growth, President Aliyev highlighted the country’s resilience amid global economic challenges.

“If we look at the growth rates of the world economy and the development rates of developed countries, or rather, their recession, we will see that the Azerbaijani economy has developed successfully. Of course, this is based on a well-thought-out policy,” he stated.

“These indicators are not just the product of the last year. As a result of many years of economic reforms, transparency, the fight against monopolistic trends, the attraction of investments, and the improvement of the investment climate, we are observing a positive change in the attitude of leading international rating agencies toward Azerbaijan. That is, they cannot deny the reality either. However, I believe that our international rating deserves a higher level than it is now, but for certain reasons, leading rating agencies are still displaying a modest approach. In other words, all this suggests that we have been able to achieve sustainable development in the economic sphere, and I am sure that this dynamic will be maintained this year and in the coming years,” he emphasized.

President Aliyev also touched upon the government’s commitment to social welfare, citing recent increases in minimum wages and investments in social packages.

“For a country that has made such large investments and has such a tall task of restoring Karabakh, paying attention to this area, of course, shows the essence of our policy. In other words, Azerbaijani citizens should be able to live better year after year. If we compare this increase with the inflation rate, which was a little more than 2 percent last year, then this increase is just another aid from the government to the vulnerable population. Everything should be fair in society, in politics and in the family. The principles of social justice have always been important to us,” he said.

“Over the past few years, four social packages have been implemented and more than 7 billion manats have been spent for this purpose. From now on, social and economic development will go hand in hand. As economic opportunities increase, we will always pay attention to addressing social issues – increasing the minimum wage, pensions and social benefits,” the president added.

The president also provided his perspective on the ongoing transformation of the global order, describing the current period as the beginning of significant changes.

“It is no secret to anyone that a new world order is shaping up. I believe that we are at the beginning of this process, many gaps are emerging and will emerge,” President Aliyev said.

“The system that emerged after World War II has already lost its potential. This is evidenced by the processes, conflicts, wars, and other events taking place in many places. At the same time, the political and moral crisis in leading Western countries is also obvious. In other words, the most critical of the situation facing the West today is the elected president of a leading Western country. And he is right in criticizing it. Because this system has already exhausted itself,” the head of state noted.

Turning to regional geopolitics, the president issued a strong statement on Armenia’s role in the South Caucasus and its implications for peace.

“The Soros era has ended in America as well. The Biden administration was, in fact, governed by the Soros method of governance,” President Aliyev stated, adding, “These supporters of Soros are actually losing their positions. The Armenian leadership should take this into account. Let them take into account that their close ally in the Middle East, the Assad dictatorship, has already been consigned to the dustbin of history and this will continue, so they should take the right step.”

He urged Armenia to adopt a more cooperative stance, particularly regarding the Zangezur Corridor.

“We, as Azerbaijan, are not a source of danger for them. We want peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus. They should not be in the way. They should not act as a geographical barrier between Türkiye and Azerbaijan. The Zangezur corridor must and will be opened. The sooner they understand this, the better it is,” he noted.

The President warned against Armenia’s continued militarization, emphasizing the risks it poses to regional stability.

“Arming Armenia will simply lead to new tensions. We do not want this. We want peace,” he said.

Criticizing Armenia’s political system, President Aliyev described it as a persistent threat rooted in fascist ideology.

“Armenia is actually a source of threat to the region. The independent Armenian state is, in fact, a fascist state. Because, if this country has been led by proponents of fascist ideology for nearly 30 years, they have shaped this country the way they did,” he stated.

“We are neighbors with such a fascist state, and the threat of fascism is not going away. Therefore, fascism must be destroyed. Either the Armenian leadership will destroy it, or we will. We have no other choice,” the Azerbaijani leader stressed.

By Vugar Khalilov