Less than ten days ago, Azerbaijani Presidential Assistant Hikmet Hajiyev shared a video from the Middle East Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh on his X page, noting that President Ilham Aliyev’s participation in the forum reflects the country’s growing role in the region and its global foreign policy as a middle power. This naturally invites a look back to May 2024, when in his article for Euronews, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted the weakening of multilateralism and the declining trust in international institutions, emphasising the importance of middle powers, including Kazakhstan, as key actors with increasing capacity to ensure greater stability, peace, and development both within their regions and beyond.
At the same time, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasised that middle powers—while lacking the global reach of superpowers—possess the economic strength, military capabilities, and political will, coupled with diplomatic skill, to exert meaningful influence on a wide range of global issues, from energy security and the green transition to supply chain resilience and beyond. Importantly, middle powers continue to uphold the principle of multilateralism.
This perspective was exemplified by the parallel event “Multilateralism at a Crossroads: Challenges and Pathways to Peace”, organised by the Nizami Ganjavi International Centre during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.
Such an approach reflects the consistent and proactive efforts of Baku, implemented both by Azerbaijan as an independent state and through its active participation in international institutions.
This is clearly reflected, for example, in President Ilham Aliyev’s address in 2023 during the ministerial meeting of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) while Azerbaijan held the chairmanship of the organisation. Describing the principle of multilateralism as “our powerful instrument,” the head of state emphasised how, in the current historical period, international organisations—particularly the UN—fail to meet humanity’s expectations.
At that time, identifying the UN Security Council as a relic of the past that does not reflect today’s reality, Aliyev highlighted the need to expand its membership to transform it into a more representative and geographically equitable body. Concurrently, he expressed Baku’s concern over the growing trend of neocolonialism, underscoring the continuing significance of both the Baku Initiative Group and the Baku Process.
These examples clearly illustrate the important role that Baku and Astana play today on the global stage as middle powers. Notably, Azerbaijan has provided financial and humanitarian assistance related to COVID-19 to over 80 countries, both bilaterally and through the World Health Organization (WHO), including voluntary contributions of $10 million to the WHO.
Moreover, in 2023, as chair of the Non-Aligned Movement, Azerbaijan issued global appeals to support post-pandemic recovery in Africa and among Small Island Developing States (SIDS), acting as a first donor with an allocation of $1 million for these initiatives.
These actions are particularly significant in the context of a rapidly evolving global order, where middle powers are increasingly emerging as new centres of influence. It is against this backdrop that President Ilham Aliyev received invitations from the Presidents of the United States and Egypt to participate in the landmark Peace Summit.
It is also noteworthy that, according to Politico, citing anonymous sources within the U.S. Department of Defense, Azerbaijan has been identified as one of the leading candidates to contribute troops to future stabilisation forces in the Gaza sector.
Azerbaijan’s geopolitical significance is further reflected in its recognised role as a key venue for mediating and managing points of tension between states.
This is why President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recently described President Ilham Aliyev as an outstanding statesman of historic stature, whose decisive efforts have safeguarded and strengthened Azerbaijan’s independence and territorial integrity. The Kazakh president emphasised that, thanks to Aliyev’s tireless work, Baku’s authority and influence on the global stage have been substantially enhanced.
Such recognition from a distinguished world leader is particularly meaningful, especially given Azerbaijan’s achievement of historical justice through adherence to all norms and principles of international law—setting an example for the international community.
In turn, the President of Azerbaijan emphasised the strengthening of Kazakhstan’s international authority, noting that it is perceived on the world stage as a reliable partner and a country pursuing its own course while implementing policies guided by national interests.
This emphasis by President Aliyev clearly characterises both countries as middle powers that advance their foreign policy objectives based on the protection of national interests, but without harming third parties—states whose actions confidently shape specific areas of the global agenda.
In this context, it is reasonable to expect that the Baku–Astana tandem will continue its significant progress not only within the shared Central Asia–South Caucasus region, but also gradually beyond its boundaries—both geographically and geopolitically. This includes the highly active engagement of both states within the framework of the Organization of Turkic States.
