Ilham Aliyev

Rule Changes

Has ruled since 2003; achieved military victory over Armenian forces

No sitting U.S. president or vice president had ever visited Armenia until February 9, 2026. JD Vance arrived in Yerevan with $9 billion in potential nuclear investment, advanced Nvidia chips, and surveillance drones — the Trump administration backing its August 2025 peace framework with economic muscle.

Updated May 27

Rule Changes

In power since 2003

For 35 years, ethnic Armenians governed themselves in Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave inside Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders. On February 5, 2026, an Azerbaijani military court sentenced 13 former leaders of that self-declared republic—including three ex-presidents—to prison terms ranging from 15 years to life. The charges: war crimes, terrorism, genocide, and crimes against humanity spanning three decades of conflict.

Updated May 27

Force in Play

Demanding Russia admit guilt, prosecute perpetrators, and pay compensation

On December 25, 2024, Russian anti-aircraft fire shredded an Azerbaijan Airlines passenger jet carrying 67 people. The pilots—hydraulics destroyed, controls failing—flew the crippled Embraer 190 across the Caspian Sea for an emergency landing.

Updated May 16