Baku is ready to help Gaza — but there are red lines

At the first meeting of the Peace Council in Washington on February 19, a list of countries participating in the Gaza reconstruction initiative was announced. Among the states contributing to the $7 billion assistance package, Azerbaijan was also mentioned.

This information quickly began circulating on social media, raising questions — much like the earlier announcement by the United States Ambassador to the United Nations regarding Azerbaijan’s supposed agreement to send peacekeeping forces to Gaza Strip.

The desire to see Azerbaijan included in various international initiatives is understandable. Even a global power such as the United States seeks Azerbaijan’s partnership when implementing its projects. Azerbaijan is a leader in its region, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is a political figure with immense authority, known for his ability to resolve complex challenges. Baku’s presence in any project increases its attractiveness for other potential partners.

However, even major powers must understand that for the President of Azerbaijan, national interests always come first. His decisions are not guided by international trends if those trends do not align with Azerbaijan’s interests. Maintaining peace in the Middle East is undoubtedly an important objective — one that also concerns Azerbaijan, given the geographical proximity of the South Caucasus to this conflict-prone region. Nevertheless, President Ilham Aliyev has already defined the framework within which Baku is prepared to cooperate.

On February 19, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington. (Source: AZERTAC)

Following statements made at the Peace Council, Presidential Assistant and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev clarified the situation in a post on his X account.

Azerbaijan, he wrote, as a founding state, supports the goals and intentions of the Peace Council and may in the future participate in investment projects in Gaza through this structure. “However, we would like to clarify one issue. Azerbaijan is not envisaged as a participant in the $7 billion Gaza financial project discussed at today’s Peace Council meeting,” the post stated.

Azerbaijan also had to clarify its position following statements by the American side about the country’s participation in a peacekeeping operation in Gaza. Azerbaijan is a country that has only recently emerged from war, and therefore such topics are perceived very sensitively by society.

On January 5, in an interview with local television channels, President Aliyev addressed this issue in detail.

The head of state noted that Baku had indeed been approached on this matter and possesses considerable peacekeeping experience. However, in the case of Gaza, many issues remain unclear — first and foremost the mandate of the peacekeeping mission, as well as its goals and objectives. Moreover, Azerbaijan has no intention of participating in any peace enforcement operation. Azerbaijani servicemen have never taken part in combat operations outside Azerbaijan, and such an option is not being considered.

The President also emphasized that the life of every Azerbaijani citizen is valuable to him. The country has already suffered significant losses in the two Karabakh wars. Therefore, Baku has not given its consent through any channels. “Perhaps there was an attempt, by saying that Azerbaijan had agreed, to attract someone else into the process — I do not exclude that possibility. But if that is the case, it is absolutely unacceptable. We have prepared a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and submitted it to the American side. Until these questions are clarified, Azerbaijan’s participation in any mission is not envisaged,” the head of state stated.

Donald Trump first proposed the idea of creating Stabilization Forces in Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh in October last year. The initiative was presented as part of a 20-point plan aimed at comprehensively resolving the Gaza issue.

As already noted, any participation by Azerbaijan in peacekeeping or financial initiatives abroad is a sensitive matter for Azerbaijani society. Not because Azerbaijanis are unwilling to sympathize or help. Rather, every citizen remembers the country’s own challenges, which it had to overcome entirely on its own — from war to restoring life in the liberated territories. There is no international assistance for Azerbaijan even today, during the ongoing reconstruction of cities, infrastructure, and ecosystems in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.

Azerbaijan is not among the world’s largest economies nor among the holders of vast foreign currency reserves. Nevertheless, without seeking external aid, it resolves its problems independently.

Since 2020, more than 25 billion manats have been allocated from the state budget for the restoration of territories liberated from occupation (including 3.5 billion manats since the beginning of 2026). The majority of these funds have been directed toward infrastructure projects. For the United States or others, this amount may not seem particularly significant. For Azerbaijan, however, it is enormous. These funds could have been directed toward social protection, economic development, and other priorities. Instead, they must be spent on rebuilding the liberated districts and creating from scratch the conditions necessary for normal life. And demining, which has now continued for six years, remains another massive burden.

A general view of Fuzuli International Airport, Fuzuli, Azerbaijan (Source: Anadolu Agency)

Today, nearly 30,000 former internally displaced persons have already returned to their restored hometowns and villages. In total, the population of the liberated territories exceeds 70,000 people. This may appear modest only to those who do not know the condition in which the seven districts and Karabakh itself were returned to their rightful owners.

These realities cannot be ignored. Nor can one overlook the fact that the bulk of reconstruction work still lies ahead. This means the country must use its resources carefully, because no one will establish special aid funds for Azerbaijan.

Against this backdrop, reports of Azerbaijan joining a $7 billion initiative or a peacekeeping mission in Gaza naturally caused confusion and concern among the public.

Baku’s position is always based on the principles of responsible foreign policy and consideration of domestic public opinion.

This does not mean that Azerbaijan will abstain entirely from initiatives related to Gaza. The country has accumulated vast experience in demining operations, humanitarian missions, and rebuilding cities that were reduced to rubble. Over five post-war years, acting exclusively through its own efforts, Azerbaijan has developed significant practical expertise that it can share with Gaza. It may also join certain investment projects — within reasonable limits, of course.

Azerbaijan is currently providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which is fighting for its territorial integrity. Through United Nations institutions and on a bilateral basis, the country has also provided humanitarian aid to Palestine at various times. Therefore, no one can claim that Baku ignores the problems of the Palestinian people.

Baku ignores no one. But for the President of Azerbaijan, the interests of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people will always come first. That is an iron rule.

By Tural Heybatov

News.Az