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Assistant to the President: We believe in the middle power concept and determine our own agenda

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration

12 March 2026 16:27 (UTC +04:00)

“We believe in the concept of a middle power and determine our own agenda,” Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said during his speech at the panel discussion titled “Multilateralism in Crisis: Rethinking Global Cooperation” held within the framework of the Global Baku Forum in Baku, APA reports.

He noted that when the term “middle power” is mentioned, a country’s military capabilities, GDP, or territorial size often come to mind first: “We consider ourselves a middle power, but the goal here is not to compete in terms of GDP, territory, or military strength. For us, a middle power means an approach focused on solving problems and the will to contribute to its region as well as to the global agenda. Through the concept of middle power, we become participants in the global agenda.”

Hikmet Hajiyev noted that UN institutions compete with each other instead of cooperating:

“Instead of using limited resources efficiently, broader elements of competition are emerging. This shows their inability to adapt to changing conditions. That is precisely why, when we see the problems of adaptation and flexibility in some multilateral institutions, countries like Azerbaijan move toward a broader ‘middle power’ concept.”