Timeline of Azerbaijan

2012

NATO Secretary General welcomes President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan at NATO Headquarters

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, visited NATO Headquarters. He met with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and addressed the North Atlantic Council.
Azerbaijani Ambassador Elin Suleymanov remembers Black January

2011

The US Embassy in Baku celebrates American Independence Day
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton meet in DC

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said, "I ... want to underscore the strategic importance of the relationship between the United States and Azerbaijan and the range of issues that we are working on together - bilateral issues, regional issues, even global issues."
US Ambassador Matthew Bryza jumps the fire to celebrate Novruz

2010

U.S. Defense Secretary Gates meets with Azerbaijan's President Aliyev

U.S. President Barack Obama promised in a letter released on Monday to tackle "serious issues" straining relations with Azerbaijan, an important link in Afghan supply lines and energy export routes to the West. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates handed Obama's letter to President Ilham Aliyev during a visit meant to ease tensions with the oil-rich Caspian Sea country, strategically located between Russia and Iran.
President Barack Obama meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev

President Barack Obama meets with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in New York City while attending the annual General Assembly at the United Nations.

2008

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney meet in the president's residence

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney meet in the president's residence on the Caspian Sea in Baku, Azerbaijan. Cheney assured Azerbaijan of America's "abiding interest" in the region's stability.

2001

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell opened the OSCE Meetings for the negotiation of a peace settlement

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell opened the OSCE Meetings for the negotiation of a peace settlement to the Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Both President Aliyev and Armenian President Kocharyan were present at the talks. In Key West, Florida, on April 3, 2001.
President Aliyev and U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House

President Aliyev met with U.S. President George W. Bush in the White House after the OSCE meetings to discuss the Karabakh situation.

1997

The U.S. heightens its role in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by becoming a Co-Chair of the Minsk Group

The United States has been actively engaged in international efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The U.S. has played a leading role in the Minsk Group, which was created in 1992 by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe--now the OSCE--to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

1992

The U.S. opens an Embassy in Azerbaijan's capital city, Baku

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 brought an end to the Cold War and created the opportunity to build relations with its successor states as they began a political and economic transformation.
Armenians attack the Azerbaijani village of Khojaly and murder 613 people in one night

Armenians attack the Azerbaijani village of Khojaly and murder 613 people in one night

1991

Azerbaijan declared its independence

Azerbaijan declared its independence, joining the other republics seeking to secede from the Soviet Union.

1985

Gary Kasparov became the world chess champion

Gary Kasparov became the world chess champion. He was born in 1963 in Azerbaijan to an Armenian mother and a Jewish father. Anatoly Karpov had held the world chess title for 10 years until he was defeated by Kasparov.

1936

Azerbaijan SSR

Azerbaijan SSR, Georgian SSR, Kazakh SSR & Kirghiz SSR became constituent republics of Soviet Union.

1920

Azerbaijan joined the USSR

Azerbaijan joined the USSR. The Red Army invaded Azerbaijan and turned the country into a Soviet Republic.

1919

Azerbaijan's delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference after WWI. They met with American President Woodrow Wilson.

Azerbaijan's delegation to the Versailles Peace Conference after WWI (1919), where they met with American President Woodrow Wilson.