‘War ended, thanks to TRUMP’: Armenia, Azerbaijan to sign peace pact at White House; US president takes credit
US President Donald Trump has added two more names to the list of nations where he claims to have brokered peace — Armenia and Azerbaijan. On Thursday, US President announced that the long-feuding neighbours are expected to sign a historic peace agreement at the White House on Friday, potentially bringing an end to decades of hostility, and this is all because of “TRUMP”. Trump indicated that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev would sign agreements with the United States to explore joint economic ventures, aiming to maximise the South Caucasus Region’s potential.“I look forward to hosting the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, at the White House tomorrow for a Historic Peace Summit. These two Nations have been at War for many years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to “TRUMP.” My Administration has been engaged with both sides for quite some time. Tomorrow, President Aliyev AND Prime Minister Pashinyan will join me at the White House for an official Peace Signing Ceremony,” Trump said. “The United States will also sign Bilateral Agreements with both Countries to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region. I am very proud of these courageous Leaders for doing the right thing for the Great People of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It will be a Historic Day for Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United States, and, THE WORLD. See you then! DJT,” he added. This agreement could resolve long-standing conflicts and enable the reopening of vital transport routes across the South Caucasus, which have remained closed since the early 1990s.Three anonymous US officials revealed to AP that the agreements include establishing a significant transit corridor across the region, which had previously hindered peace negotiations.According to these officials, the US would receive leasing rights to develop this corridor, designated as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.The corridor would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan region, currently separated by 32 kilometres of Armenian territory.The planned transit corridor would incorporate railway lines, oil and gas pipelines, and fibre optic cables, facilitating goods movement and eventually passenger travel. Private corporations, rather than the US government, would finance the corridor’s construction.The agreement resulted from negotiations following Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff’s visit to Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital, earlier this year.
Azerbaijan-Armenia dispute
The Karabakh region has been a source of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for nearly forty years.During Soviet rule, the predominantly Armenian region maintained autonomy within Azerbaijan. Tensions between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azerbaijanis, influenced by the 1915 Ottoman Turkish massacre of 1.5 million Armenians, intensified as the Soviet Union declined.The region attempted to join Armenia in 1988, sparking clashes. Following Armenia’s independence from the dissolving USSR in 1991, the situation escalated into warfare, resulting in approximately 30,000 deaths and one million displaced persons, AP news agency reported.The 1994 ceasefire left Armenian forces, supported by Yerevan, controlling both the region and significant portions of Azerbaijan.International mediation proved unsuccessful. Azerbaijan launched a campaign to reclaim the region in September 2020, supported by NATO-member Turkey, which shares strong ethnic and cultural ties with Azerbaijan.The six-week conflict, involving artillery, rockets and drones, resulted in over 6,700 casualties. Azerbaijani forces regained control of areas outside Karabakh and within it. A Russian-brokered peace agreement led to the deployment of 2,000 peacekeepers.Azerbaijan completely reclaimed Karabakh in September 2023 through rapid military action. Subsequently, nearly all of Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian population, over 100,000 people, fled to Armenia within a week.
