Aliyev praises Trump’s ‘miracles,’ and criticizes Russia’s ‘disrespect’

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that U.S. President Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Together with my Armenian counterpart, we nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He truly deserves it. As I mentioned in Washington, within just a few months he performed miracles in Africa, Asia, and the South Caucasus. This is his character. He wants peace. He is a person who does not at all fit the traditional image of a Western leader,” Aliyev said in an interview with Al Arabiya.

At the same time, Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan is not to blame for the deterioration of its relations with Russia.

“Azerbaijan is not responsible for the worsening of relations with Russia and will never tolerate aggression or disrespect,” he said.

Commenting on the arrests in June of members of a criminal group connected to killings in Yekaterinburg in previous years, Aliyev described the case as “baseless attacks on Azerbaijanis in Russia.” He added that Baku is responding “constructively and within the law.”