U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker met with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

According to the information released by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 19, the current state of bilateral cooperation between the two countries was discussed during the meeting. The sides also exchanged views on prospects for development, the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace process, as well as regional and global security issues.

“The agreements reached during the historic Washington meeting on August 8 were recalled with satisfaction, and the importance of joint efforts toward the development of strategic partnership between the two countries was emphasized. It was noted that we are interested in accelerating work on the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,’ which will be implemented by the United States to ensure unhindered connectivity between the main part of Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said.

A statement from the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan noted that during the meeting, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State reaffirmed Washington’s support for the peace process in the South Caucasus.

Relations between Azerbaijan and the United States have normalized after Donald Trump was elected president again. During the Biden Administration, the ties between the two countries were not considered “warm.” At the time, official Baku openly expressed dissatisfaction with Washington’s stance on regional developments, and additionally cited the Biden Administration’s increased criticism on human rights issues as a cause of strained relations. Washington’s statements regarding political prisoners and civil society caused discontent in Baku, with Azerbaijan stating that these matters were being unnecessarily politicized within the bilateral dialogue.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker also met with the President’s Assistant and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev.

“Our discussions covered a wide range of issues, including progress on the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agenda and the implementation of regional connectivity initiatives. We also exchanged views on key regional and global developments and reaffirmed the spirit of strategic partnership between Azerbaijan and the United States,” the President’s Assistant wrote on his “X” page.

The Deputy Secretary’s visit to the region began on November 15. Before arriving in Azerbaijan, she had visited Armenia.

During her visit to Armenia, it was announced that a joint working group had begun operating to implement the “Trump Corridor.” The working group will be led by Sonata Coulter, Deputy Assistant to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State.

During her meetings in Yerevan, including with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the U.S. official presented details of the working group.

According to her, U.S.–Armenia cooperation, as well as progress in the normalization of Armenia–Azerbaijan and Armenia–Turkey relations, “creates new prospects for opening the South Caucasus as an important trade route.”

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During the Gaza war, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan supplied seventy percent of Israel’s oil through Turkey and Russia.

During that period, twenty five countries supplied crude oil and refined fuel to Israel.

A recent report by Oil Change International provides this information.

In the updated report, 323 tanker voyages carrying a total of 21,2 million tons of crude oil and refined products from twenty five countries to Israel were recorded between 1 November 2023 and 1 October 2025.

171 of these shipments consisted of crude oil, with a total volume of 17,9 million tons. According to the report, %70 of the crude oil entering Israel came from Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Azerbaijan’s crude oil is delivered to the port of Ceyhan in Turkey through the Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline. The report notes that because the pipeline ends in Turkey, the country of origin is recorded as Turkey in official documents, although all oil carried through the pipeline is known as “Azeri BTC”.

Kazakhstan’s oil is documented in a similar way. Crude oil delivered to Novorossiysk on the Russian coast of the Black Sea through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium is recorded in documents as originating from Russia.

The report also shows that 17 countries sent a total of 3,3 million tons of refined oil products to Israel through 152 tanker voyages. %45 of these shipments came from Russia.

The United States sent 360,000 tons of JP-8, which is jet fuel used in military aviation, on nine voyages to Israel, along with two additional voyages carrying diesel fuel. The fuel was produced at the Bill Greehey refinery in Texas owned by Valero.

Dr. Irene Pietropaoli, author of a legal opinion concerning genocide in Gaza, reminded that in light of the provisional ruling issued by the International Court of Justice, states must consider that any support for Israel’s military operations may expose them to the risk of involvement in genocide.

The legal opinion raises questions about whether fuel exports to Israel by states violate the International Court of Justice requirement to prevent and punish genocide.

In September 2025, the United Nations Independent International Commission called on member states to halt the supply of weapons, equipment and also jet fuel to Israel or to third countries whenever there is suspicion that such items may be used in operations that could amount to genocide.

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On November 17, the local office of the “Euronews” television channel began operating in Baku. Media representatives, diplomats, and other guests attended the opening ceremony. Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the Board of “Euronews,” Pedro Vargas David, stated that the media organization he leads has always taken a balanced position toward Azerbaijan and has been pressured because of that position.

Pedro Vargas David expressed satisfaction with the opening of the Baku office of this respected European media organization.

Since November 2023, pressure on independent media in Azerbaijan has intensified. Over the last two years, nearly 30 journalists have been arrested. In March and April of 2025, the Azerbaijani government either shut down the local offices of international media outlets such as BBC, Reuters, Voice of America, and Bloomberg, or issued decisions limiting them to accreditation for only a single employee. Local independent media organizations such as Abzas Media, Toplum TV, and Meydan TV have been unable to continue operating within the country. Staff members of these organizations have been imprisoned.

So in such conditions, how did “Euronews” manage to open a local office in Azerbaijan and who stands behind it?

“Euronews” was founded on January 1, 1993. Although it had operated independently since its establishment, there were changes in the channel’s leadership in 2024. Klaus Strunz was appointed the channel’s new head. Strunz is known for his right-wing background at Germany’s Bild newspaper. He writes against migrants, is known as a supporter of Israel, and has even been accused of having business ties with Hungary’s right-wing leader Viktor Orban. Politico has written that Orban has significant influence over the channel. In addition, journalistic investigations have revealed business and personal ties between Hungary’s leader and Alpac Capital, the main company that owns the channel.

Media critics say that these changes at “Euronews” cast doubt on its independence. In recent years, “Euronews” has also produced video reports praising Azerbaijan’s nature, oil revenues, and economic situation.

It is for this reason that Pedro Vargas, the Chairman of the Board, faced criticism over his stance on Azerbaijan during the opening ceremony. France’s Le Monde wrote that in 2022, Vargas sold the channel to a company linked to Orban in a deal involving suspicious operations.

Viktor Orban is known in Europe for his right-wing and anti-democratic statements. He is a close friend of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and is known as a supporter of the Azerbaijani government when decisions are made in Europe.

Here is the revised version without using any dashes:

As Politico describes, the “brutal changes” at “Euronews” cast doubt on its ability to operate independently in Azerbaijan. At a time when Azerbaijan ranks among the lowest countries in the world in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) press freedom index, and when independent media is being pushed out of the country, the conditions under which “Euronews” will operate, as well as its independence, remain uncertain.

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