Throughout all eras, gestures and symbols have played a great role in politics. Great politicians have utilized the possibilities of symbols and gestures from ancient times to the modern era where information technologies rapidly develop. Sometimes, the emotional impact and practical usefulness of symbols surpass the "cold" style of diplomatic communication. Symbols create trust and confidence among parties in the process of achieving goals, and also garner the support of the masses for the conducted policy.
Yes, sometimes their impact is temporary, but even this limited time is enough to reach the objectives. Therefore, despite the existence of international law and protocols, we occasionally witness that with just a few gestures or symbols, major issues in politics are resolved. Of course, the use of symbols and gestures requires courage and professionalism from a politician. Against the background of such politics, cheap demagogy resembles a faded, pale, worthless reproduction standing next to a masterpiece, causing a smile by comparison.
Precisely in the context of political gestures and symbols, we would like to talk about the small but highly significant symbolic dialogue that occurred between the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and the head of state of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, at an official reception organized in New York on September 23 in connection with the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Great meanings are hidden behind small symbols. Symbols also allow seeing the truth.
Let us remind that in the aforementioned event, along with President Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan's First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva also participated. In the short speech of only a few minutes by U.S. President Donald Trump, the following expressions addressed to President Ilham Aliyev were included: “Thank you,” “my friend,” “I made a friend,” “it took courage,” “I am proud,” and “you are a wonderful person.” These words said by the head of the world’s leading country to the leader of our homeland Azerbaijan should be regarded as an unforgettable compliment addressed to each of us.
Certainly, such historic moments are unforgettable, and these achievements must be utilized for the development of our statehood and the welfare of future generations. We hope that those engaged with Azerbaijan’s modern history will not consider their duty complete by merely citing these quotes. Such historic moments and successes must definitely become the subject of various scholarly works. Thanks to these kinds of achievements, every citizen of Azerbaijan will constantly feel pride in belonging to the Azerbaijani people, and these noble feelings will inspire each of us to strive for even greater successes. Those who do not wish for development and ideological unity will always try by all means to belittle any achievement.
In his speech, President Donald Trump characterized the past conflict period by saying, “All these years it took courage.” Special attention must be paid to the fact that Donald Trump used the word “courage” precisely to characterize the policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev in the current direction. This expression is his admission that for the sake of national interests, the head of state sometimes went against international public opinion and did not care about any pressure. It is these qualities and displayed principle that compelled the leader of a country like the U.S. to call President Ilham Aliyev a Great Leader. Yes, despite all pressure and manipulations, making firm statements like “In matters of national interests, we did not rely on anyone or any institution” without hesitation requires courage.
We have also repeatedly witnessed that the head of state has always avoided cheap populism and has even criticized this approach. The biased criticisms voiced have been answered with concrete results and great achievements. Let us not forget that professionalism and a sense of responsibility do not like populism; populism revolves only around a dirty struggle to gain momentary political dividends. President Ilham Aliyev’s next words, “Generally, we never take meaningless steps, have never taken and will not take them. Whatever steps are taken today, they carry great meaning to move towards the goal,” are not only a manifestation of courage but also a sign of commitment to a defined strategy and national interests.
Asif Adil
