President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Senator Steve Daines, Member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, on July 7.

Axar.az reports that President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that following Donald Trump’s second election as President of the United States, bilateral relations based on cooperation and mutual trust have been developing successfully. He noted that the ties have been elevated to the level of a strategic partnership and described this as highly important for both countries and the region.

The head of state fondly recalled the visit of U.S. Vice President JD Vance to Azerbaijan and highlighted the significance of the signing of the "Charter on Strategic Partnership between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United States of America" during that visit in expanding bilateral relations.

President Ilham Aliyev hailed his personal relations with Donald Trump and highlighted his special role in advancing the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Noting that historic events had taken place since Senator Steve Daines’ last visit to Azerbaijan, the head of state expressed gratitude to the Senator for his efforts to develop Azerbaijan–U.S. relations.

Senator Steve Daines, in turn, hailed the successful development of relations between the two countries in recent times and described the Azerbaijani President’s visit to Washington in August last year as a significant event.

He also noted Azerbaijan’s important geopolitical role under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.

Steve Daines expressed gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for his leadership in normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and advancing the peace agenda.

During the conversation, the sides stressed the importance of the TRIPP corridor for regional transport connectivity and exchanged views on strengthening dialogue between Azerbaijan and the U.S. Senate, as well as on the prospects for partnership.