Azerbaijani leaders received global praise, granted mass amnesty, and rejected a critical EU resolution on December 19, 2025.

On December 19, 2025, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received congratulatory messages from multiple world leaders, including Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Turkmenistan’s Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, and Kazakhstan’s Nursultan Nazarbayev, praising his leadership and Azerbaijan’s progress in state-building, international standing, and socio-economic development. Zelensky specifically highlighted Azerbaijan’s support during Russia’s war against Ukraine, citing humanitarian aid, energy infrastructure assistance, and medical care for Ukrainian children. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Parliament adopted a broad amnesty affecting over 20,000 individuals, part of legislative reforms tied to the “Year of the Constitution and Sovereignty.” The Milli Majlis also condemned a recent European Parliament resolution as biased and politically driven, accusing it of hypocrisy and Islamophobia.