Diplomacy

At the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which was held from Wednesday to Friday (17 - 19  September), Azerbaijan’s Defence Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, led Baku’s delegation and held high-level discussions with his Chinese counterpart on advancing joint military capabilities.

On Thursday (18 September), the United States exercised its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to block a draft resolution that demanded an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. The resolution also called for the lifting of restrictions on humanitarian aid to the enclave and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups. Fourteen of the fifteen council members backed the resolution; the US alone opposed it.

On September 8, 2025, during his address at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the potential revival of the “3+3” format in the South Caucasus while commenting on Russia’s relations with regional countries. He noted that the initiative was initially proposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan and highlighted that it is also supported by Iran, signaling broader regional backing. Lavrov further referenced the trilateral agreement between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on restoring transport links and welcomed the ongoing process of normalization between Armenia and Turkey.

US President Donald Trump is meeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday 18 September, the final day of the U.S. leader’s state visit to the UK with tech investment, steel tariffs and potentially tricky topics on the agenda. The President and first lady Melania Trump were feted by King Charles III and Queen Camilla on Wednesday at Windsor Castle with significant pageantry including gold-trimmed carriages, scarlet-clad soldiers, artillery salutes and a glittering banquet in a grand ceremonial hall. 

The prospect of peace in the South Caucasus may finally be within reach. Following the high-profile meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House as facilitated by U.S. President Donald Trump on 8 August, hopes are rising that Yerevan and Baku could soon sign a long-anticipated peace treaty. That breakthrough has already been welcomed internationally, sparking renewed movement on the Armenia–Türkiye track as well. Opening the Armenian-Türkiye border has long been a policy objective for successive governments in Yerevan.

Applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall on Friday as countries endorsed a declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel.  The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organized by France and Saudi Arabia, which resumes later this month. The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document. Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries – Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States – while 12 nations abstained. The vote highlights the current Israeli international isolation as a result of its current policies. Prior to the vote, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont recalled that the New York Declaration “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-State solution”. This involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign. The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalization between Israel and the Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated she would push to sanction "extremist" Israeli ministers and curb trade ties over Gaza, as she warned famine should not be used as a "weapon of war". Addressing the European Parliament on 10 September in the annual State of the Union, von der Leyen lamented that divisions among member states were holding back a European response but insisted the European Commission "will do all that it can on its own". "What is happening in Gaza has shaken the conscience of the world. People killed while begging for food. Mothers holding lifeless babies. These images are simply catastrophic," von der Leyen said. The German politician said the Commission would put its bilateral support to Israel on hold, stopping all payments, but without affecting work with civil society groups and Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.

The agreements reached in the US-mediated summit of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Washington on August 8 are poised to fundamentally reshape the region's future. Particularly, the deal concerning the Zangezur corridor – rebranded as the “Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) – holds significant geopolitical importance. If implemented, the TRIPP agreement would deal a severe blow to the regional standing of Russia and Iran. More importantly, it would pave the way for a strategic U.S. presence in this critical geography. This outcome represents a success that few would have predicted for the United States, especially for the Trump administration, given the region's notoriously complex and volatile geopolitics.