Hikmat Hajiyev: 'We have full support of Trump administration'

The administration of US President Donald Trump has demonstrated its commitment to Azerbaijan's peace agenda, Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, told The Washington Times, The Daily Baku reports.

In an article covering the peacebuilding process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, steps toward repealing Section 907 in the US Congress, Baku's relations with Moscow, and Azerbaijan's ties with Israel, the newspaper cited Hajiyev as noting that the US President's immediate response to the peace agenda deserves high praise.

Hikmat Hajiyev also emphasized that the very existence of Section 907 hinders peace: "Both governments - Azerbaijan and Armenia - are making an uphill struggle of strengthening the peace. But some in Congress are introducing completely unnecessary and divisive legislative acts."

He also claimed that the Biden-Blinken administration had damaged relations between Azerbaijan and the United States. The warming US-Azerbaijan relationship under Trump stands in sharp contrast to the previous administration's approach, he noted.

"With the Biden and Blinken administration, unfortunately, we had a lot of misunderstandings, and they inflicted a lot of damage," Hajiyev said. "The Biden administration reimposed Section 907 restrictions immediately after the Afghanistan mission ended. During Mr. Trump's first term, the administration played a crucial role in bringing Caspian gas through the Southern Gas Corridor project for the European market."

Touching on Azerbaijan's attempts to establish economic relations with Armenia, Hajiyev noted the export of petroleum products to that country and the conditions created for the transit of grain to Armenia: "It may seem symbolic, but along with symbolism, there are really important geopolitical connotations. We are making peace not only with the government of Armenia, but with the people of Armenia."

Emphasizing that Azerbaijan is a space of religious tolerance, the presidential aide stated that the country is a natural partner for the West for cooperation in the unstable region: "We have Jewish communities, Christian communities living side by side with Muslim communities for centuries. This is our tradition, this is our identity. We have stronger determination for our agenda of peace, and we have the full support of the Trump administration."