WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a historic peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ending decades of hostility in the South Caucasus. The agreement, signed at a White House summit, includes reopening key transport links and establishing a new transit corridor — named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.
Calling the naming “a great honour,” Trump said he did not request it, adding, “Thirty-five years they fought, and now they’re going to be friends for a long time.” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed the corridor as a new connectivity hub, while Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the deal “a significant milestone.” Both leaders credited Trump’s team, with Aliyev saying, “President Trump in six months did a miracle.”
The corridor will link Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory — a long-standing sticking point. The White House said the route will ensure unimpeded movement while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty. The deal also signals a geopolitical shift, reducing Russia’s influence after decades of mediation and its waning power since the 2022 Ukraine invasion.
Talks began earlier this year, with Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff meeting Aliyev in Baku. Negotiations on developing the Trump Route — spanning rail, oil, gas, and fibre-optic infrastructure — are expected soon, with at least nine developers expressing interest. Both countries also signed separate agreements with the US to deepen cooperation in energy, technology, and trade.
The declaration, signed in the State Dining Room, is the first such pact since the Cold War. It calls for disbanding the OSCE Minsk Group, which has mediated the conflict since the 1990s.
The Armenia–Azerbaijan rivalry over Nagorno-Karabakh dates back nearly 40 years. After a bloody war in the early 1990s, Armenia held the enclave until Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, reclaimed much of it in 2020. In September 2023, Azerbaijan fully regained Karabakh, prompting over 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee within a week.
