Foreign Policy in Questions and Answers

On January 7, during a press conference between President I. Aliyev and local TV channels, a representative of Real TV asked: “Do you see Trump in the same boat with us...?”

Answer: "In Mr. Trump's statements, there are very clear and direct signals. It is probably impossible to analyze them all at this moment. However, I can say that the Azerbaijani public shares most of them. Hence, there are hopes that there will be an opportunity to approach US-Azerbaijan strategic relations."

Here’s what the Minister of Foreign Affairs J. Bayramov said during yesterday’s press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "We have seen that the United States does not take Azerbaijan’s interests into account but instead acts in its own interests, dictating terms. The continued presence of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in Azerbaijan is no longer needed, and it is time to completely end its operations."

Ten days passed between these two press conferences. What might have upset our Ministry of Foreign Affairs? Could it be the signing on January 14 of a framework for strategic partnership between the United States and Armenia by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan?

But this document was signed by the outgoing President Biden's administration. Why would they give the incoming U.S. president a reason to perceive it as disrespect towards America, which he promises to make great again?

Especially against the backdrop of Trump’s announced plan to reclaim the Panama Canal, which he claims was taken under China’s control, creating military risks for Washington. Meanwhile, we demand the return of the Zangezur Corridor to Nakhchivan, which was severed from Azerbaijan in 1920 by those who are accustomed to ruling by dividing. So, why slam the door shut?

Muslim Aliyev, 76-year-old pensioner.