Azerbaijan and Armenia in Abu Dhabi - how one leader changed world

When the winners of the Sheikh Zayed Foundation's Human Brotherhood Award 2026 (UAE) were announced, no one was surprised by this choice. Azerbaijan and Armenia are the only countries that have gone through a long-term bloody conflict, but have found the strength and wisdom to embark on the path of peace. Baku and Yerevan are following this path without international "consultations", without endless meaningless discussions and meaningless meetings.

The Sheikh Zayed Foundation was established as an institutional continuation of the ideas and values of the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Its activities are aimed at supporting universal humanistic principles - strengthening intercultural dialogue, promoting tolerance, protecting the environment and creating sustainable peace between peoples. One of the Foundation's key projects is the Zaid Award for Human Brotherhood, an influential international award that recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations who have made a significant contribution to the development of ideas of solidarity, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect at the global level.

The 2026 laureates were selected by an independent international jury consisting of renowned personalities and experts in the field of dialogue and coexistence. Mohammad Abdulsalam, a member of the jury and General Secretary of the Award, noted that this year the jury chose the historic peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan. According to him, this agreement embodies the mission and goals of the award, and is also considered an important milestone in promoting global peace and a major diplomatic achievement.

Although the peace treaty has not yet been concluded, its initialing in Washington and all the steps taken in recent months by the parties, primarily Azerbaijan, can actually be considered a major diplomatic achievement. The General Secretary of the Award did not exaggerate.

The award ceremony for the President of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia was held in a very good mood and in an atmosphere of goodwill. Those present were sincerely glad to see the leaders of the two countries, who had been in a terrible and destructive conflict for three decades, side by side on the podium. This is a huge success that should inspire other countries and help them find their way to peace. In his speech at the ceremony, President Ilham Aliyev said this: the example of Azerbaijan and Armenia should be learned and accepted by those who are still at war.

Peace is possible even after a conflict like Karabakh.

Thanks to Baku's persistence, the settlement of relations between the two countries has been going on exclusively in a bilateral format and without intermediaries for several years. This is one of the reasons for his success. Of course, Azerbaijan exerts some pressure on its neighbor to put him on the right path, but official Yerevan should also be given credit for trying. After the Washington talks last August, the process went even faster, and the presence of American interest in it ensured its security. In other words, no external actors can interfere anymore and dictate to the weak side, which is Armenia, how to live with its neighbors.

There is great interest in the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the world. And this is not accidental. The Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement is the most successful peace process of our time. And it is unique, because after all that Azerbaijan had to go through, not a single country that won the war and liberated its lands would extend a hand to the defeated aggressor. This is a truly unique case in recent history. By liberating the occupied territories and creating a new geopolitical reality in the South Caucasus, Azerbaijan has laid the foundation for long-term stability and peace. In the post-conflict period, Azerbaijan, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, deliberately chose the policy of "peace for the development of the region", rejecting the logic of humiliation and destruction of the defeated side. This approach has become a rare example of political will and humanism on the part of the victorious State.

"We have been at war for more than thirty years. We've been living in peace for six months now. We are learning to live in peace. I can say that this is a special feeling," the Azerbaijani President said at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi.

Millions of residents of the South Caucasus are experiencing this special feeling today. Thirty years is a very long time. Many were born and raised in a conflict that was invisibly present in our lives every moment of it. Even when they weren't shooting. It was impossible to ignore him. After the 2020 war, for some time it was hard to believe that the conflict no longer existed, that the psychological pressure of the occupation also no longer existed. Our neighbors probably had their own worries. After all, the occupation of Azerbaijani territories has become a rock for them, dragging them to the bottom. Armenia could not taste its "victory" because this "victory" was not accepted by the world, and the country itself was isolated..  

The peace agenda proposed by Baku formed the basis for a new economic architecture of the region, focused on common well-being. The abandonment of confrontational rhetoric in favor of cooperation has opened up broad prospects for the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan has shown the world not only its defense power, but also its strategic thinking. Peace initiatives close the tragic page of hostility and pave the way for a new era based on respect and cooperation. This is happening in front of the whole world. And the whole world sees that this is possible. Yes, it is possible to open roads for trains going to Armenia. It is possible to sell fuel at low prices to a neighbor who was your enemy five years ago. Every decision made by the President of Azerbaijan should be included in the textbooks of diplomacy and taught in the world's leading universities.

Let's not forget about the contribution of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the process. Without his sober approach, without his understanding of the realities and without his desire to lead his country out of the darkness of cave nationalism, Azerbaijan and Armenia would hardly have been able to find a common language. At the same time, Pashinyan has to overcome the powerful resistance of revanchist circles, to resist attempts of external pressure, including from the diaspora, which advocates continued confrontation and sows hatred. Unlike the Azerbaijanis of the world, who unequivocally support their national state and their leader, Yerevan has many opponents in the face of world Armenians. In such circumstances, Nikol Pashinyan had a very difficult task - to transform an illusory Armenia into a real state, no matter what.

The fact that the process is going well could be seen from the meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Abu Dhabi. From the footage of the meeting, it was noticeable how much the atmosphere had changed. Distrust and tension have gone out of it, and the Armenian side has also got rid of fear. Armenian leaders have always been afraid of meetings with President Ilham Aliyev, even when they were "winners."

In the same mood, the leaders took to the podium during the award ceremony.

In Abu Dhabi, President Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan discussed issues that normal neighbors discuss. The process of normalization of relations shows good dynamics. Recently, another wheat train arrived in Armenia through Azerbaijan, and on Wednesday, another grain shipment was sent from Russia. While bad weather is raging in the region and roads are closed, Russian grain is being successfully delivered to Armenia by rail, which would have been unimaginable six months ago. It was also impossible to imagine that the residents of Armenia would line up at gas stations for Azerbaijani gasoline.

Usually the first pancake is a lump, but in our case it immediately became clear that the process was going in the right direction. At the meeting in the UAE, the parties agreed to continue exploring the possibilities of expanding bilateral trade and economic cooperation, confirmed their readiness to continue working to further strengthen peace and stability between their countries and maintain contacts.

Earlier it was reported that Baku and Yerevan are discussing a wide range of goods in respect of which there is mutual interest. The parties exchange preliminary lists and explore market opportunities. This process is still going on without unnecessary publicity. The most important thing is that he's coming. Armenia has already identified a number of export positions. According to Armenian media, Armenia is ready to supply aluminum foil and raw materials for its production, ferromolybdenum, tobacco and textile products, as well as cognac raw materials to Azerbaijan. The neighboring country can also offer agricultural products.

The leaders of the countries also discussed the most important issue - the implementation of the TRIPP project and other projects for the development of transport links. The issue of opening communications is an integral part of the TRIPP (Zangezur Corridor) project. The sequence of steps taken by Baku suggests that in Azerbaijan, TRIPP is considered the starting point for all other transport and logistics projects between the two former adversaries. This issue got off the ground only after the meeting in Washington and the transformation of the Zangezur corridor into the "Trump Route." Armenia wanted to develop the topic of communications in a different sequence, but Azerbaijan was persistent. President Ilham Aliyev never abandons his ideas, but seeks and finds opportunities to implement them, no matter who opposes him. Many were against the Zangezur corridor, but Baku found a partner whose presence forced the whole crowd to close the doors on the other side. The United States is not an intermediary, but a partner. The Americans will build the Zangezur Corridor (whatever it is called now), while insuring the project against outside interference.

You can see how recent events have inspired Yerevan. In Abu Dhabi, Nikol Pashinyan called the Zaid Award a symbol of the turning over of the page of the long-standing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This award, he said, "belongs to the peoples of both countries - to every Armenian and Azerbaijani who was not afraid to hope for peace."

Nikol Pashinyan was ready to take the right steps after the war, but the government was under too much pressure, and from different sides - from within, from the north, from the south, from the west. It was difficult to resist the internal and external pressure. The figure of Donald Trump has shielded Armenia from the crowd of those who do not want peace in the South Caucasus, and also scared away the local crows, giving Nikol Pashinyan the opportunity to pursue the right policy without regard for revanchists.

Over the past five years, the two countries have had to go through a difficult path from hostility to mutual understanding. This mutual understanding, I think, has already been established between the leaders. It will be more difficult with societies, but this path will also be possible if Armenia does not change its orientation.