US–Azerbaijan partnership “revitalised”, Trump says in Independence Day message

US President Donald Trump has sent a congratulatory Independence Day message to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, praising deepening bilateral ties and welcoming progress in efforts to secure a lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In the letter, Trump said Washington and Baku had “worked together to revitalize our relationship” since what he described as a “historic August 2025 peace summit in Washington,” pointing to the signing of a Strategic Partnership Charter in Baku earlier this year, Caliber.Az reports via state media.

“Since the historic August 2025 peace summit in Washington, we have worked together to revitalize our relationship, culminating in Vice President Vance signing our Strategic Partnership Charter with you on February 10, 2026, in Baku,” he wrote.

Trump said the United States and Azerbaijan were expanding cooperation across key areas, including trade, connectivity and security.

“We are deepening our partnership on regional connectivity, economic ties, and security cooperation, and look forward to continuing our collaboration in these areas and beyond,” the message stated.

A significant portion of the letter focused on the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process, with Trump reaffirming US support for what he called “an enduring peace” between the two countries.

He said Washington was encouraged by steps taken by Baku towards implementing a draft peace agreement, including border delimitation work, prisoner exchanges, fuel deliveries to Armenia, and a proposed “Peace Bridge” initiative aimed at fostering civil society dialogue.

“The United States continues to support an enduring peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Trump wrote, adding that recent developments were “encouraged” in Washington.

The US president also highlighted continued expectations for long-term strategic cooperation between the two countries, saying: “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our strategic partnership in the years and decades to come.”

By Vugar Khalilov