New York, September 24, 2025
President Ilham Aliyev used his visit to New York to advance Azerbaijan’s push for deeper international partnerships, holding a string of high-level meetings with U.S. officials, European leaders and executives from some of the world’s most influential investment firms.
Aliyev met with Khush Choksy, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, to discuss how to elevate bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership. The two sides reviewed opportunities in energy, communications, artificial intelligence and other fields under the recently signed memorandum of understanding that created a Strategic Working Group for drafting a U.S.–Azerbaijan Charter on Strategic Partnership. Choksy said he plans to visit Baku soon with a business delegation to explore investment prospects.
In another meeting, Aliyev conferred with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, emphasizing the traditionally friendly ties between Baku and Sofia. Both sides expressed satisfaction with their expanding energy cooperation and agreed there is room to broaden partnerships across multiple sectors.
The president also held talks with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who congratulated Baku on progress made at the Washington summit with Armenia under the auspices of U.S. President Donald Trump. Aliyev reaffirmed Azerbaijan’s role as initiator of the region’s peace agenda and stressed that the country would continue efforts to consolidate stability.
Beyond political leaders, Aliyev’s agenda in New York was heavy with business diplomacy. He met with Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton, a global investment firm managing $1.6 trillion in assets. Discussions focused on emerging market access to capital, long-term opportunities in infrastructure and renewable energy, and Franklin Templeton’s ongoing cooperation with Azerbaijan’s sovereign wealth fund. Johnson praised the country’s stable investment climate as a strong basis for expanding ties.
Aliyev also sat down with Adebayo Ogunlesi, founder and chief executive of Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which manages $170 billion in assets worldwide. The two reviewed joint projects, including investments in Italy’s high-speed rail operator Italo. Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s commitment to sustainable development, while Ogunlesi pointed to Baku’s geography and energy transition priorities as reasons GIP is keen to scale up involvement in transport, renewables and digital infrastructure.
Taken together, the series of meetings underscored Aliyev’s strategy of pairing Azerbaijan’s energy clout and strategic location with international capital and innovation. From U.S. corporate boardrooms to European capitals, Baku is signaling its readiness to anchor itself more firmly in global financial and political networks.
