​​​​​​ISTANBUL

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the newly-signed Charter on Strategic Partnership between Baku and Washington as a “historic” milestone Wednesday, following high-level talks with US Vice President JD Vance in the capital.

“In addition, the Charter on Strategic Partnership signed between the U.S. Government and the Government of Azerbaijan in this building yesterday also provides us with this advantage. This Charter is a historic document,” Aliyev said during a meeting dedicated to the unified action plan titled, “Azerbaijan’s New Digital Architecture.”

Stating that the document has already been made public, he added, “Everyone can see what it consists of, including data centers, digitalization, artificial intelligence, and our close ties with American companies in this area. In other words, this is also our advantage.”

Aliyev said the deal reflects months of joint work and elevates relations to a new level, stressing that Azerbaijan values its strategic partnership with the US.

He also underlined cooperation in security, energy, connectivity and defense, as well as new areas such as AI and data centers.

During statements Tuesday, Aliyev thanked US President Donald Trump and Vance for their role in supporting peace efforts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, saying the two countries have “lived in peace” for six months following a US-backed agreement.

Vance said the charter would formalize the partnership and ensure long-term cooperation between the two countries.

He praised Aliyev’s leadership in advancing the peace agenda and announced plans to strengthen maritime security cooperation, including the delivery of boats to help protect Azerbaijan’s territorial waters.

The charter was signed during Vance’s visit to Baku on Tuesday after an expanded meeting with Aliyev, where the sides discussed cooperation and regional developments, including the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) transport corridor, energy security, defense cooperation and economic ties.