By Peter M. Tase
On February 10th, 2026, The Trump Administration and
the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan signed a Charter on
Strategic Partnership. This historic document encompasses the
Strategic Interest that Azerbaijan has ensured and earned in the
lenses of the Government of the United States of America. At a time
when the European Union is scoffing at Washington, the Trump –
Vance Administration has taken a monumental decision to establish a
working group to shape an ambitious bilateral agenda that will
uphold the strategic discussions of President Ilham Aliyev and
President Donald Trump at the White House on August 8th,
2025.
In the Diplomatic History of the United States, the visit of J.
D. Vance to Baku marks a pivotal moment in the Trump Corollary
Doctrine and will generate higher levels of economic prosperity for
the people of Azerbaijan as well as generate new employment
opportunities for American citizens.
This Charter reasserts Washington’s full support for the
sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and inviolability
of the borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
The steadfast leadership and statecraft of President Ilham
Aliyev have made possible the achievement of this Strategic
bilateral partnership with the United States of America, and this
Charter has a special significance, it brings the bilateral
alliance into the highest levels of cooperation that has ever
existed in International Politics. The partnership priority given
to Azerbaijan by the Trump – Vance Administration is a decision
that benefits the U. S. Economy above and generates additional
security measures and guarantees durable peace in South Caucasus
and Central Asia.
Other tenets that are included in the bilateral Strategic
partnership are regional transportation connectivity, economic
investment, and security cooperation; the geopolitical priority
emanating from Washington DC towards Baku, is visionary decision
that is backed by the TRUMP Brand; such a priority given to
economic projects and land transportation corridors by the White
House, has not even taken place in South America (Western
Hemisphere) let alone in the rest of the world and these landmark
decisions benefiting the economy of Azerbaijan and guaranteeing the
full territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, are admirable diplomatic
and strategic actions taken by Washington. In the same vein, the
Administration of President Ilham Aliyev has pursued an outstanding
diplomatic campaign and implemented a dynamic foreign policy
roadmap that has generated confidence in Washington and made
Azerbaijan, a developed nation that stands apart from the other
countries of the world, when dealing with the United States of
America.
Regional Connectivity, Including Energy, Trade, and Transit, are
some of the principal sectors of cooperation between the Republic
of Azerbaijan and the United States of America. Both nations intend
to work together to promote regional connectivity, with a focus on
the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor (Middle Corridor) by
cooperation on land, maritime, and air transportation
infrastructure development; energy and data connectivity; trade and
transit facilitation; customs control and border crossing;
international multi-modal logistics; and other related areas. Both
Governments acknowledge the importance of the Trump Route for
International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), as a multi-modal
connectivity project that will provide unimpeded connectivity
between the main territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with reciprocal benefits for
international and intra-state connectivity for the countries
involved, and unlock the region’s potential for international trade
and transit in line with the Washington Peace Summit Declaration of
August 8, 2025.
The development of tourism sector in the Autonomous Republic of
Nakhchivan is another area of bilateral cooperation. The top
quality products of Nakhchivan, including Nakhchivan’s famous
marble tiles will very soon reach the U. S. Real Estate Development
Market and the exports of Badamli Mineral Water to the U. S.
Supermarkets will very soon be a reality.
The Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America
intend to work toward improving the business climate, foster
economic growth, and increase trade and investment flows to promote
bilateral economic relations while building upon the productive
history of the Azerbaijan-U.S. relationship, a remarkable
partnership that has resulted in the implementation of the Contract
of the Century, the Southern Gas Corridor, and benefited both sides
and the broader region through close collaboration. To this
end:
- The Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America
intend to expand cooperation to promote connectivity with a focus
on developing the Middle Corridor across the energy, transport and
digital infrastructure sectors, including through the development
of the TRIPP and other projects;
- Recognizing the importance of regional connectivity, the
Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America will
actively explore opportunities to mobilize public and private
sector investment in the energy and transport sectors as well as
digital infrastructure development;
- Acknowledging the Republic of Azerbaijan’s strategic importance
as a reliable partner in energy security, the Republic of
Azerbaijan and the United States of America will expand energy
cooperation including in the oil, gas and electricity sectors
bilaterally and through partnerships with third countries toward
implementation of joint projects, such as interconnector projects,
and diversifying supply routes.
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Peter Marko Tase is the author of twelve books on
International Relations, Cultural Diplomacy, Southeast European
History, Latin American Studies, and The Southern Caucasus Regional
Politics and Economic Integration. Tase is an Investigative
Journalist, Public Speaker, and has authored and edited many
published books, including two bilingual and one simultaneous
dictionary using Italian, Albanian, Spanish, Guaraní, and
English.