Historic peace summit: Trump hosts Armenian, Azerbaijani leaders
Shafaq News – Washington
On Friday, the White House will host a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in a bid to end decades of conflict in the Caucasus.
Trump, who will preside over the talks, announced on his Truth Social platform that the two leaders would participate in an “official peace agreement signing ceremony,” adding that the United States would also sign bilateral agreements with both Armenia and Azerbaijan to unlock new economic opportunities across the South Caucasus.
According to circulated information, the peace deal will also include a strategic partnership agreement between Azerbaijan and the United States, along with an extension of the existing US-Armenia partnership agreement signed under former President Joe Biden.
In a significant policy shift, the implementation of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act—which has restricted direct US aid to Azerbaijan since 1992—is expected to be suspended. A memorandum of understanding is also set to be signed between Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR and US energy giant ExxonMobil.
Additionally, Baku and Washington are expected to establish a joint strategic task force focused on regional connectivity in energy, trade, and transport, as well as investments in artificial intelligence technologies, digital infrastructure, counterterrorism cooperation, and defense industry deals.
According to CBS News, the agreement to be signed will grant the United States development rights over a 43-kilometer corridor through Armenian territory, which will be named the “Trump Path for Global Peace and Prosperity.”
The conflict between Baku and Yerevan stems from the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an ethnically Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan. The two countries have fought two wars—one following the collapse of the Soviet Union, which ended in an Armenian victory, and a second in 2020, which Azerbaijan won. Baku fully regained control of the territory in a brief offensive in September 2023, resulting in the displacement of over 100,000 Armenians from the disputed region.
