Image by Arzu Geybullayeva President Ilham Aliyev, the incumbent leader of Azerbaijan, has welcomed leaders of several countries known for their anti-Western sentiments and in some cases, questionable human rights and freedoms records in recent weeks. Among the leaders shaking hands and signing agreements with President Aliyev since April 2024 were Tajikistan’s president Emomali Rahmon, the President of Belarus, Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Slovakia’s Prime Minister, and the President of Bulgaria. In April 2024, Slovakia elected a populist president w…