US President Donald Trump found himself the subject of lighthearted ridicule among European leaders following his repeated confusion of Azerbaijan and Albania during discussions about peace deals. Last month, Trump boasted to Fox News that he had “solved” the conflict between “Azerbaijan and Albania,” a clear mix-up of the actual countries involved.
At a European summit in Copenhagen on October 2, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama poked fun at French President Emmanuel Macron and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, joking, “You should make an apology to us because you didn’t congratulate us on the peace deal that President Trump made between Albania and Azerbaijan.” The leaders shared a genuine laugh before Macron quipped, “I’m sorry for that.”
The real peace agreement brokered by Trump was between Azerbaijan and Armenia, signed at the White House in August to quell nearly four decades of conflict. However, the deal remains unsigned on the negotiators’ desks.
Despite the blunder and mispronunciation of Azerbaijan as “Aber-baijan,” Trump has proudly claimed this as a diplomatic victory, adding it to a list of conflicts he insists he has resolved. The humorous moment in Copenhagen served to highlight the persistent geographic gaffes by the US leader.
