Vance's visit to Baku demonstrated the pragmatism of US interest in the South Caucasus

US Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan demonstrated Washington's desire to strengthen its presence in the region while weakening Russia's influence, noted Baku analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. At the same time, the United States is changing its strategy for building relations with countries in the region, moving from a value-based partnership to cooperation based on pragmatism and economic interests.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, in the lead-up to US Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Yerevan, activists and clergy from Nagorno-Karabakh requested assistance in securing the release of Armenian prisoners in Azerbaijan. Protesters in Yerevan made the same request. J.D. Vance and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on investing $9 billion in Armenia's nuclear energy sector. Vance expressed support for Pashinyan in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Following his visit to Armenia on February 9-10, US Vice President J.D. Vance visited Azerbaijan on February 10-11.

Following talks between Vance and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Charter of Strategic Partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States was signed on the evening of February 10, the Azerbaijani presidential website reported.

The charter outlines key areas of cooperation, particularly in the areas of regional connectivity, energy, trade and transit, economics, investment and technology, and security and defense.

"This document will contribute to the further strengthening of relations between the two countries. "The United States is committed to continuing close cooperation with Azerbaijan to realize the great potential of the South Caucasus region," Minval quoted the US Embassy in Azerbaijan as saying.

The Charter covered political and economic aspects

A practical, concrete result of US Vice President J.D. Vance's visit to Azerbaijan was the signing of the Charter of Strategic Partnership, according to Baku analyst Tapdyg Farhadoglu.

In the document, Baku and Washington reaffirmed their mutual support for "each other's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders as the foundation of their bilateral relations."

 An active partnership with the United States largely guarantees the security of the countries of the South Caucasus.

"US support for the independence and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is of great importance to Baku amid the geopolitical tensions in the region caused by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Russia's actions against Ukraine pose potential challenges to the sovereignty and security of other post-Soviet countries. Domestic political tensions in Iran and its standoff with the United States and Israel carry the risk of unpredictable actions by Tehran in the region. "Therefore, an active partnership with the United States largely guarantees the protection of the countries of the South Caucasus and insures them against threats from the north and south," Farhadoglu told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He also noted that the Charter devotes a separate chapter to security cooperation.

"The United States and Azerbaijan have previously cooperated in security and the fight against terrorism. Notably, Vance in Baku specifically noted the US-Azerbaijan collaboration in the international operation in Afghanistan, emphasizing that Azerbaijani troops were among the last to leave the country. The parties now confirm their readiness to continue cooperation in security, including in international peacekeeping efforts. In this regard, the United States has already included Azerbaijan in the Gaza Peace Council and considers Azerbaijan a participant in the peacekeeping operation in the region. "Azerbaijan is well-suited for this role because it has good relations with Israel, the Arab world, and Turkey," Farhadoglu said.

He cited another significant point in the Charter as the parties' confirmation of their intention to "expand the scope of defense cooperation," including the sale of defense products.

"In the early 1990s, in connection with the Karabakh conflict, the United States unfairly adopted Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, which discriminated against Azerbaijan and limited defense cooperation. After the start of the US operation in Afghanistan, US presidents annually suspended the amendment because the Americans needed Azerbaijan's support, including the use of the country's airspace to support military operations. However, in 2024, President Joe Biden reinstated the restriction. True, President Donald Trump froze it again. However, the amendment itself remains in force and has effectively lost even its formal basis for existence, since the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia has ended, through the territory of Azerbaijan in Cargo is flowing to Armenia, Azerbaijan itself is supplying fuel to Armenia, and there can be no talk of any "blockade" anymore. The amendment must be repealed, and the inclusion of a provision on cooperation in the field of defense sales in the Charter confirms the political position of the US executive branch regarding the need to eliminate restrictions against Azerbaijan. On the other hand, an initiative to repeal Section 907 has already been submitted to Congress. We can expect that after the Charter is signed, Congress will consign this document to the archives of history," Farhadoglu continued. The analyst also mentioned the inclusion of economic cooperation issues in the Charter as an important priority for the partnership. Vance's visit was also timed to coincide with a business mission organized by the US Chamber of Commerce, which included representatives of 30 of America's largest companies. In addition to general issues of developing trade and investment cooperation, the parties intend to develop partnerships in the field of AI, promote ties in the space industry, and encourage investment in digital infrastructure, he said. Farhadoglu.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan and the United States intend to expand cooperation for regional ties.

"It's not just about implementing the TRIPP project – the Trump Route, which will connect the two parts of Azerbaijan through Armenia. This route reflects the parties' interests in implementing a more global Middle East Transport Corridor." Since the late 1990s, the United States has promoted the idea of ​​reviving the North-East corridor along the route of the Ancient Silk Road. In 1999, Senator Sam Brownback initiated a strategic act to develop such a transport corridor. The initiative's goal was to create a secure economic and transport route bypassing Russia and Iran. At the same time, this strategy was aimed at integrating the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus with the West. However, only now has the United States begun to actively implement this strategy. This constitutes the economic and political interests of the United States in the South Caucasus. A strong foothold in the region will open Washington's door to Central Asia. The United States wants to weaken Russia and China's influence in the region and gain access to Central Asia's rich resources through investment, innovation, and opening up opportunities for entry into promising global markets. In this sense, Vance's visit should be seen as the beginning of a new phase in US policy toward the South Caucasus and Central Asia, a more "aggressive" promotion of American interests," Farhadoglu continued.

According to him, the Charter of Strategic Partnership was prepared in less than six months, which indicates the active mutual interest of the parties in adopting the document.

"The decision to create working groups was made on August 8, 2025, during "The visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Washington, during his talks with President Donald Trump, was followed by interagency work between the relevant ministries, and mutual visits took place. During this period, five high-level delegations from Azerbaijan visited the United States, including missions headed by the ministers of economy, energy, transport, and digital development, as well as the assistant to the president on foreign policy issues," Farhadoglu continued.

According to him, Vance's key message in the region was also a demonstration of US support for the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. After the visit, an intensification of economic contacts between the two countries should be expected, the analyst believes. He also drew attention to the fact that before Vance's visit to the region, the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia met in Abu Dhabi and after these talks It was announced that the parties exchanged a list of goods for mutual supply.

"Of course, we can hardly expect trade between business structures to begin anytime soon. But at least the process of discussions, assessments, and the elaboration of legal and logistical issues is already beginning," he said. analyst.

Chairman of the political committee of the Republican Alternative party, co-founder of the Republic Research Center Natig Jafarli called Vance's visit to the region "a very important event, confirming the significance of the South Caucasus in world politics."

According to him, Vance's agenda included not only issues of strengthening peace in the region and developing transport links.

In his opinion, "the South Caucasus, including Azerbaijan, is also important for the creation of regional data centers for large American companies." "Data centers are designed to store, process, and securely manage digital data, which requires large energy resources and appropriate cooling infrastructure. Given the sharp increase in electricity production in Azerbaijan in the coming years due to the development of alternative energy, data centers can be created in Azerbaijan. At the very least, it will be economically advantageous to base them in Azerbaijan, since the country will have a lot of excess electricity. The implementation of such plans would make it possible to create practically "A new, highly profitable, and knowledge-intensive sector," Jafarli told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In this regard, he emphasized the importance of reflecting in the Strategic Partnership Charter the US's readiness to invest in Azerbaijan's digital infrastructure, including the development of AI data centers in collaboration with the private sector.

However, according to him, while "intentions have been declared, practical work still lies ahead, and the government of Azerbaijan should not miss this opportunity."

"It is unlikely that we will be able to cope with this task with the old management philosophy, which is ineffective, overly regulated, and opaque. Radical reforms aimed at creating a favorable environment for business and investment are needed. Foreign investors must be confident that they will not encounter bureaucratic red tape or official abuses, that they will be able to count on the fairness of the courts in resolving disputes, and that, in general, they will be confident that they will receive economic benefits from their investments." - Jafarli noted.

Vance's visit showed a change in US policy in the South Caucasus

Vance's visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan reflected the US strategy to expand Washington's political, economic, and even military presence in the South Caucasus, establish post-conflict integration here, develop transport connectivity, and weaken the influence of Russia and Iran, Togrul Juvarli, a member of the Azerbaijan National Public Committee for European Integration, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He noted the importance of signing the Charter of Strategic Partnership between the United States and Azerbaijan. "In order for the intended goals of the partnership to be realized, the parties agreed to create joint working groups within three months to develop roadmaps in the areas of trade and investment, energy security and renewable energy, transport connectivity, digital technologies and cybersecurity, as well as cooperation "in the field of security, including the fight against terrorism and humanitarian demining," Juvarly continued.

He particularly noted agreements on cooperation in the fields of AI and defense.

At the same time, Juvarly drew attention to Vance's statement that Washington will supply Azerbaijan with patrol boats to strengthen maritime security in the Caspian Sea.

At the same time, the analyst pointed out the absence of the topic of democracy and human rights in the Charter and Vance's public statements, despite calls from various organizations on the eve of the visit for him to raise the issues of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.

"This likely indicates a change in US policy in the South Caucasus, a transition from a course based on traditional Western values ​​to a partnership based on pragmatism, the priority of security interests, infrastructure development, and economic integration," Juvarly noted.

However, in his opinion, this is still temporary a retreat associated with geopolitical turbulence in the world, as well as the interests of establishing peace and stability in the region, protecting it from the destructive influence of forces thirsting to restore their dominance here at any cost.