The main diplomatic news today comes from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh, where the “Peace Summit” is kicking off. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has arrived in Egypt at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and U.S. President Donald Trump to take part in the summit.
Some context is needed here. By the time the summit began, the peace process had finally been set in motion. The first step was the transfer by Hamas of 20 living hostages to Israel. The remains of those who perished are also to be returned. In response, Israel is releasing over 1,000 detained residents of the Gaza Strip, including 250 Palestinians sentenced to life imprisonment — in other words, convicted terrorists.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Israel for several hours before heading to Egypt. The composition of the summit’s participants deserves special attention. For Trump — who is personally organizing the summit — it would have been easy to gather representatives from more than a hundred countries in Sharm el-Sheikh, a venue that has hosted successful Middle East peace talks before. The resort infrastructure on the southern Sinai Peninsula could easily accommodate such an event.
However, Trump chose a different approach: to invite, together with Egypt’s el-Sisi, the leaders of around twenty states possessing real political weight and authority.
This summit is not another “donor conference.” Its agenda is much broader — covering security measures, the deployment of international forces, and other key issues. Moreover, Trump’s initial plan reportedly envisaged the removal of Hamas from power and its disarmament — though that is a separate and complex topic. What matters here is that President Ilham Aliyev was invited to participate in such an exclusive gathering. This alone is a clear acknowledgment of the political weight and authority of both Azerbaijan as a state and President Aliyev personally.
The transition of Azerbaijan into the category of “middle powers” is now being manifested, including in high-level diplomacy.
It is also worth recalling that ever since Donald Trump’s administration came to power in the U.S., there has been talk of Azerbaijan possibly joining the Abraham Accords — and understandably so. Azerbaijan maintains friendly relations with Israel and with the Arab world, including Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Moreover, Azerbaijan conducts a truly independent foreign policy and is not anyone’s proxy. As a result, it is now participating as a self-reliant actor in addressing genuinely global issues — including those concerning the Middle East.
But that’s not all. Azerbaijan has been pursuing a successful and genuinely multi-vector foreign policy. Just consider the recent series of high-level meetings attended by President Ilham Aliyev:
October 1–2 — the European Political Community summit in Copenhagen;
October 6–7 — the Organization of Turkic States summit in Gabala;
October 9–10 — the CIS summit in Dushanbe;
and now, on October 12, President Aliyev has arrived in Egypt for the “Peace Summit” on the Middle East.
This is not merely successful diplomacy across multiple geographies. Azerbaijan has established itself as a reliable partner whose word carries as much weight as its signature. The country does not join coalitions of some against others and avoids dubious geopolitical adventures. Azerbaijan stands for peace, development, cooperation, and respect for international law. Most importantly, the nation’s political weight and international authority have grown significantly — now reflected in “high-level diplomacy” in every sense of the term.
Nurani
Translated from minval.az
