AZE.US
Azerbaijani politician Ilgar Mammadov has challenged former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that his threat to impose 200% tariffs on both Baku and Yerevan helped advance the peace process between the two South Caucasus rivals.
Writing on his Telegram channel, Mammadov argued that the tariff narrative was largely rhetorical and had no direct connection to negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. While the claim was widely echoed at the time, he suggested it functioned more as political theater than as a genuine lever of influence.
His comments follow a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that declared Trump’s emergency tariffs unlawful. In theory, such a decision could call into question the credibility of any diplomacy said to be built on those measures.
However, Mammadov said the legal setback would have no practical impact on the normalization process between Baku and Yerevan. According to him, the peace track was never contingent on trade threats, and there was no causal link between tariff pressure and diplomatic progress.
He also pointed to a broader risk. If conditions around the peace talks were more fragile, critics or opponents of a settlement could attempt to exploit inconsistencies in the public justification of mediation efforts. Even well-intentioned initiatives, he implied, can be undermined when they are framed around exaggerated or unverifiable claims.
The remarks reflect a wider debate about the role of external actors in the Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process and the degree to which geopolitical messaging shapes perceptions of diplomatic breakthroughs.