The head of state conveyed a number of messages and touched on many significant and relevant topics, including climate change, the “green agenda,” and Azerbaijan’s successful chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement. However, perhaps the most important aspect of the interview was Aliyev outlining Azerbaijan’s new role and, if you will, its new status on the world stage.
“The most important achievement in recent years for our country has been the full restoration of our territorial integrity and sovereignty. We accomplished this based on the norms and principles of international law, in accordance with the UN Charter and UN Security Council resolutions. For almost 30 years, this was our national goal, and we mobilized all efforts to achieve our objective—the restoration of justice. Unfortunately, international law did not work, and international organizations provided no assistance. The resolutions adopted by numerous international organizations remained on paper. We had to solve this problem ourselves, restoring justice on our own,” President Aliyev stated in the interview.
It should be added: this was not just a successful military operation to liberate a territory four times the size of Luxembourg. Azerbaijan successfully passed a difficult test of state maturity, encompassing everything from state-building and economic strategy to the creation—almost from scratch—of a modern, capable army and a well-balanced, genuinely multi-vector diplomacy. Azerbaijan has built partnerships with nearly all global “power centers” while avoiding becoming a pawn or a “frontline outpost” easily sacrificed for the interests of others. This achievement remains a dream for many post-Soviet countries that have faced external aggression, sometimes disguised as separatism, despite receiving much greater international support.
Moreover, as a victorious country, Azerbaijan is now setting new goals and addressing new challenges. It is also implementing ambitious projects that extend far beyond the borders of Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus. One of the key strategic priorities is undoubtedly the Middle Corridor.
There is little need to remind anyone that, due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, traditional communication routes between Asia and Europe have been disrupted. As a result, the Middle Corridor—which passes through Azerbaijan—has gained exceptional importance. Moreover, Azerbaijan had already undergone an “infrastructure revolution” in advance. Now, Baku has even more ambitious plans for transportation corridors, as President Aliyev highlighted in his interview.
“Azerbaijan’s position on the Middle Corridor is not just about being a transit country and receiving transit fees. Our goal is to establish enterprises along the corridor in Azerbaijan to help the private sector benefit from this opportunity,” Aliyev explained.
This requires some clarification. Business activity naturally increases along key transport routes, but Azerbaijan is complementing this organic process with a state program. Although Aliyev did not specify concrete measures in his interview, it can be assumed that they will include government tenders, tax incentives, and customs adjustments. The result? New business sectors, particularly in regional areas, new jobs, and long-term development—beyond the oil and gas sector.
This is precisely what Azerbaijan needs most at this stage. At the same time, Baku is not neglecting logistics itself. Aliyev noted that “Azerbaijan’s Middle Corridor infrastructure has been improved” but acknowledged that “this improved infrastructure will be insufficient within the next 3–5 years.”
According to the President, “Our goal was to achieve a cargo handling capacity of 15 million tons at the trade port, which would have been sufficient for decades. But now we anticipate handling up to 25 million tons in the next 5–6 years. Therefore, we are currently financing the expansion of our maritime trade port and railway infrastructure.”
Azerbaijan has the capacity for such expansion. Having independently built the largest trade port on the Caspian Sea, the country can now increase its throughput in the same manner. Unlike the old port, the new one is not constrained by urban development. Moreover, Azerbaijan has established a modern shipbuilding industry from scratch. The country already possesses the largest commercial fleet on the Caspian Sea, and there is nothing preventing it from constructing new tankers, ferries, bulk carriers, and container ships.
Additionally, Azerbaijan has established strong cooperation with Georgia, through which the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway passes. In theory, the Zangezur Corridor should also be mentioned here. A new, shorter, and more direct railway link to Turkey would significantly increase the Middle Corridor’s capacity. However, Armenia continues to delay progress on this issue. Nonetheless, Azerbaijan has alternative solutions. Firstly, agreements with Iran have been reached. Secondly, existing communication routes through Georgia remain functional.
The agreements reached at COP29 between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan for laying an energy cable along the Caspian seabed are formally unrelated to the Middle Corridor. However, they undoubtedly carry similar geopolitical significance. Azerbaijan continues to strengthen its historic role as a “bridge” between East and West—not only between Central Asia and Europe but also with China.
At this point, one could conclude the discussion, but the interview included another key moment—President Ilham Aliyev’s “leadership formula”:
“Leadership, of course, comes with great responsibility. The most important thing is that a leader must always be fair to his people and his nation. Never lie to your people, and they will appreciate it. Sometimes, leaders seeking power make many promises for political reasons and then fail to fulfill them, leading to disappointment and distrust. This results in political crises in various parts of the world.
But in our case, for more than twenty years, I have always spoken the truth to the people of Azerbaijan—whether the truth was positive or negative. I always told my people that we would restore justice, and they believed me. After 17 years in power, we finally fulfilled our promises and restored our sovereignty, territorial integrity, and dignity.
Therefore, my advice to leaders who want to gain public support is: always tell the truth and do what is right for your country, regardless of international pressure, regardless of international media narratives, regardless of what they call you or how they insult you. By doing so, you and your country will achieve success.”
These are not just words. This is a formula that has already proven successful in Azerbaijan.
Nurani
Translated from minval.az
