On the first Tuesday of the new year, the President of Azerbaijan gave an interview to the leading media resources of the republic. At first glance, a routine event. The head of state in a country where the information agenda is mainly formulated by the authorities, sums up the results of the year, designates priorities on the internal and external circuit, gives a positive charge to citizens, Russian political scientist Sergey Markedonov writes in the author's telegram channel "Don Cossack".
However, according to the political scientist, in the case of Ilham Aliyev's January speech, there were three important nuances. Firstly, it took place against the background of, if not a crisis in relations between Moscow and Baku, then seriously testing them for strength against the background of the tragedy in the skies over Grozny and Aktau.
Any head of state in a similar case would not show emotional restraint (especially when it comes to the deaths of civilians, not military).
But the Azerbaijani leader chose not the path of diplomatic mitigation of unpleasant accents, but, on the contrary, outlined (and aggravated) in the public space all the claims of his country to Russia. Even after an apology from the leadership of the Russian Federation.
In fact, Baku seeks to assert its special role in relations with Moscow and emphasize this importance at all levels, not only in the "bilateral".
Secondly, the year 2024 did not become the year of signing the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. And in the new year, Baku wants to receive not so much a formal and legal peace paper, but a complete and final demilitarization of Armenia. At least. And as a maximum, a model of "Finlandization" in relations with a neighbor, adjusted for the Caucasian political climate.
Thirdly, no matter what anyone says about the advent of the era of a multipolar world, the United States is still the first military-political power of the modern world. And Baku is waiting for new positive impulses from the new administration.
"It's no secret that a new world order is being formed now. I believe that we are at the beginning of this process, there are and will be many gaps" — these are the words reflecting the pathos of Aliyev's message to the city and the world. All the answers of the President of Azerbaijan to journalists' questions were subordinated to the disclosure of this thesis.
Power comes to the fore in the world, Baku has the resources to advance its interests. In this context, the conclusions about the strategic proximity of Turkey and Azerbaijan deserve special attention.
It is clear that when, in the context of these arguments, neighboring Armenia is characterized several times as a "fascist state", many acute questions and alarmist scenarios arise. It is also clear that Baku does not plan to ask either Russia or the West about the right to implement them. The drive is caught, the interview vividly reflects this state.
And the last (in order, but not in importance). After Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to Dmitry Kiselyov, many domestic commentators began to express delight, look, they say, what kind of anti-westernism. And it seems that Erdogan's example should have taught something.
But in our latitudes, the approach "it's not difficult to deceive me, I'm glad to be deceived myself" is still popular. Meanwhile, in a conversation with a Russian media general, Aliyev spoke in a complementary way about Trump. And he repeated all this already for his national media agenda: "Trump sent very clear, open messages in his statements."
The Azerbaijani president really criticized the West. But he rejected it before and does not accept today the liberal-idealistic, "value-based" West. But the West, thinking and acting in the logic of Realpolitik, is close and understandable to Aliyev. What is the power, brother? Yes, in force, actually! It's good when and who has it, and vae victis when you're powerless!
In the first half of the noughties, when Washington was sick of the "Greater Middle East", representatives of the White House repeatedly called Azerbaijan a "Muslim ally" of the United States. Of course, they don't enter the same river twice, but it seems that they are ready to recall the "glorious past" in Baku, and in DiSi.
So Ilham Heydarovich declares: "... there are hopes, they are great. In particular, there will be an opportunity to get closer to the strategic level of American-Azerbaijani relations."