Armenia and Azerbaijan set to sign peace agreement at the White House

Trump to Host Armenian and Azerbaijani Leaders for Peace Agreement

WASHINGTON – President Trump is set to welcome long-time rivals from Armenia and Azerbaijan to the White House this Friday to sign a peace agreement centered around new rail routes in the region.

The initiative, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” aims to connect Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, to Turkey via Nakhchivan, also encompassing parts of southern Armenia, which is known as the world’s oldest Christian nation.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will have separate meetings with Trump before the afternoon signing ceremony.

Officials from the Trump administration indicated that this corridor approval would provide Armenia with a significant commercial partner in the U.S., while ensuring Azerbaijan maintains historical ties within the region.

This route may eventually become a primary passage for transporting energy-rich fossil fuels from Azerbaijan and Central Asia.

The agreement represents a significant shift in U.S. influence in the region, traditionally dominated by Russia. In 2023, Russian peacekeepers returned to Nagorno-Karabakh, reclaiming the territory for Azerbaijan after 32 years of de facto independence.

It’s still uncertain whether the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh will be allowed to return home under this new deal.

Trump administration officials portrayed this agreement as the start of an ongoing process to address long-standing conflicts among former Soviet states. Next week, discussions will commence regarding the route named after Trump, which U.S. officials noted came at Armenia’s request.

“This is not a charity. It’s a very investable entity,” a Trump administration official explained to reporters.

“I was pleased to receive calls from nine different operators and meet with three American companies,” they added.

The intent is to establish a top-tier operating system, not just to bring peace, but to foster commercial prosperity as well.

U.S. officials announced a significant breakthrough between Yerevan and Baku, while Trump’s aide suggested he should be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize due to his past mediation efforts in conflicts involving countries like India, Pakistan, and others.

Furthermore, the administration highlighted this deal in the South Caucasus as a strategic win for Washington, especially as Moscow is embroiled in its own struggles with Ukraine, along with tensions surrounding recent Israeli and U.S. airstrikes in Tehran.

“If you look at the flow from the Caucasus region to Europe, it typically goes through Russia or Iran,” a U.S. official noted, suggesting that politics had impeded progress in the past.

“What President Trump did was remove politics from the equation, applying common sense. This is beneficial for American companies and, honestly, strengthens Europe’s energy resources. The ones losing out here are China, Russia, and Iran.”