Rebooting relations: Why Baku is adjusting priorities in cooperation with the UN? Expert opinions on Caliber.Az

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, met with the Regional Director of the UN Development Coordination Office for Europe and Central Asia, Gwi-Yeop Son. During the meeting, he announced Baku's reassessment of its cooperation format with the UN, emphasizing that Azerbaijan is adjusting its priorities in relation to the organization in line with new realities. As part of this shift, further partnerships with certain UN structures will be carried out through a project-based cooperation mechanism, in accordance with Azerbaijan's national priorities.

Bayramov highlighted that, as the country transforms from a recipient of aid to a contributor to the global agenda, priority areas will include cooperation with the UN's Conflict Resolution Program, the UN Environment Programme, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat, and other relevant institutions. Going forward, interaction with the UN will primarily take place through their headquarters.

The President of Azerbaijan has repeatedly emphasized the need for reforms within the UN. He noted that the structure of the Security Council is outdated and does not reflect modern realities, and that its composition should be expanded to ensure greater representativeness and geographical balance. According to Ilham Aliyev, the Non-Aligned Movement should be given a permanent seat in the UN Security Council with rotating chairmanship, and Africa should receive additional seats.

As an example of the inefficiency of UN mechanisms, Aliyev referred to the situation in the South Caucasus. He reminded that while some UN Security Council resolutions were implemented within days, Armenia had ignored four resolutions for nearly 30 years, which demanded the immediate withdrawal of its armed forces from Azerbaijan's territory.

Does this signify a political message from Baku or merely a technical change in the format of cooperation with the UN? Caliber.Az correspondent reached out to Azerbaijani political experts to answer this question.

As noted by MP and political scientist Rasim Musabayov, Azerbaijan's cooperation with the UN is indeed changing. Previously, when the country faced significant challenges—such as a million refugees and internally displaced persons, a shattered economy, and limited resources—it required support from specialized UN programs. At that time, the organization provided substantial assistance through agencies dealing with refugees, as well as through FAO, WHO, and UNDP, playing a key role in the country’s reconstruction.

"However, the situation has changed. Today, the total amount of assistance provided by UN specialized agencies in Azerbaijan is less than $5 million. Under these circumstances, maintaining offices and administrative structures has lost its meaning. Moreover, Azerbaijan now provides international aid itself, and the volume of this assistance is 5–10 times greater than the support provided by the UN in the country.

Therefore, the decision was made to change the format of cooperation with the UN: not through permanent representations of specialized agencies, but through specific programs of interest to Azerbaijan. The country is ready to participate in such programs both financially and diplomatically. If there is no interest, there will be no participation. This is not a matter of distrust in the UN, but rather a reflection of the maturity of the Azerbaijani state and a new format of interaction. Azerbaijan is ready to develop relations with the UN, possibly even at a deeper level, but in other directions. At the same time, it is more logical for UN resources to be directed to regions where they are truly needed—such as Africa, Asia, and other areas in urgent need of support," emphasized Musabayov.

According to Farid Shafiyev, Chairman of the Board of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and political scientist, Azerbaijan is sending a signal to the international community that it is a state of a different category, one that has transitioned from being a recipient of aid to becoming a donor.

"Our cooperation is now likely to be based on limited, specific UN projects with clear timelines and financial frameworks," he noted.

Shafiyev further stated that, overall, Azerbaijan has no issues with the UN, although isolated incidents do occur.

"For example, recently, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights called for a 'fair' trial of the former leaders of the Karabakh junta, who are currently being tried in Baku. This is absolutely unacceptable for Azerbaijan. However, the decision to reassess the cooperation format with the UN was made before this statement. Therefore, I don’t think it should be perceived as a political message—rather, it’s an optimization of relations. Although, among the organizations whose offices will be closed in Azerbaijan, the International Red Cross is also included, which, as is well known, engaged in pro-Armenian activities within our country," Shafiyev concluded.