Leaders Of Armenia And Azerbaijan Shake Hands And Sign Deal At White House Peace Summit

WASHINGTON — The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shook hands Friday astatine a White House bid acme earlier signing an statement aimed astatine ending decades of conflict.

President Donald Trump was successful nan mediate arsenic Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan flanked him connected either side. As nan 2 extended their arms successful beforehand of Trump to shingle hands, nan U.S. leader reached up and clasped his hands astir theirs.

The 2 countries successful nan South Caucasus signed agreements pinch each different and nan U.S. that will reopen cardinal proscription routes while allowing nan U.S. to prehend connected Russia’s declining influence successful nan region. The woody includes an statement that will create a awesome transit corridor to beryllium named nan Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, nan White House said.

Trump said astatine nan White House connected Friday that naming nan way aft him was “a awesome grant for me” but “I didn’t inquire for this.” A elder management official, connected a telephone earlier nan arena pinch reporters, said it was nan Armenians who suggested nan name.

Trump has sought to beryllium known arsenic a peacemaker and made nary concealed of nan truth that he covets a Nobel Peace Prize. Friday’s signing adds to a bid of bid and economical agreements brokered by nan U.S. this year.

Both leaders said nan breakthrough was made imaginable by Trump and his team.

“We are laying a instauration to constitute a amended communicative than nan 1 we had successful nan past,” Pashinyan said, calling nan statement a “significant milestone.”

“President Trump successful six months did a miracle,” Aliyev said.

Trump remarked connected really agelong nan conflict went connected betwixt nan 2 countries. “Thirty-five years they fought, and now they’re friends and they’re going to beryllium friends a agelong time,” he said.

That way will link Azerbaijan and its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which are separated by a 32-kilometer-wide (20-mile-wide) spot of Armenian territory. The request from Azerbaijan had held up bid talks successful nan past.

For Azerbaijan, a awesome shaper of lipid and gas, nan way besides provides a much nonstop nexus to Turkey and onward to Europe.

Trump indicated he’d for illustration to sojourn nan route, saying, “We’re going to person to get complete there.”

Asked really he feels astir lasting bid betwixt Armenia and Azerbaijan, Trump said “very confident.”

Aliyev and Pashinyan connected Friday joined a increasing database of overseas leaders and different officials who person said Trump should person nan Nobel Peace Prize for his domiciled successful helping easiness long-running conflicts crossed nan globe.

The bid woody betwixt nan Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda helped extremity nan decades-long conflict successful eastbound Congo, and nan U.S. mediated a ceasefire betwixt India and Pakistan, while Trump intervened successful clashes betwixt Cambodia and Thailand by threatening to withhold waste and acquisition agreements pinch some countries if their fighting continued. Yet bid deals successful Gaza and Ukraine person been elusive.

US takes advantage of Russia’s waning influence

The signing of a woody betwixt Armenia and Azerbaijan, some erstwhile Soviet republics, besides strikes a geopolitical rustle to their erstwhile imperial master, Russia. Throughout nan astir four-decade conflict, Moscow played mediator to grow its clout successful nan strategical South Caucasus region, but its power waned quickly aft it launched nan full-scale penetration of Ukraine in February 2022. The Trump-brokered woody would let nan U.S. to deepen its scope successful nan region arsenic Moscow retreats, elder U.S. management officials said.

The Trump management began engaging pinch Armenia and Azerbaijan successful earnest earlier this year, erstwhile Trump’s cardinal negotiated envoy, Steve Witkoff, met pinch Aliyev successful Baku and started to talk what a elder management charismatic called a “regional reset.”

Negotiations complete who will create nan Trump Route — which will yet see a obstruction line, lipid and state pipelines, and fibre optic lines — will apt statesman adjacent week, and astatine slightest 9 developers person expressed liking already, according to nan elder management official, who briefed reporters connected information of anonymity.

Separate from nan associated agreement, some Armenia and Azerbaijan signed deals pinch nan United States meant to bolster practice successful energy, exertion and nan economy, nan White House said.

Trump previewed overmuch of Friday’s scheme successful a societal media station Thursday evening, successful which he said nan agreements would “fully unlock nan potential” of nan South Caucasus region.

“Many Leaders person tried to extremity nan War, pinch nary success, until now, acknowledgment to ‘TRUMP,’” Trump said connected his Truth Social site.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict has lasted for decades

The 2 nations were locked successful conflict for astir 4 decades arsenic they fought for power of nan Karabakh region, known internationally arsenic Nagorno-Karabakh.

The area was largely populated by Armenians during nan Soviet era but is located wrong Azerbaijan. The 2 nations battled for power of nan region done aggregate convulsive clashes that near tens of thousands of group dormant complete nan decades, each while world mediation efforts failed.

Most recently, Azerbaijan reclaimed each of Karabakh successful 2023 and had been successful talks pinch Armenia to normalize ties. Azerbaijan’s insistence connected a onshore span to Nakhchivan had been a awesome sticking point, because while Azerbaijan did not spot Armenia to power nan alleged Zangezur corridor, Armenia resisted power by a 3rd statement because it viewed it arsenic a breach of sovereignty.

But nan imaginable of person ties pinch nan United States, arsenic good arsenic being capable to move successful and retired of nan landlocked federation much freely without having to entree Georgia aliases Iran, helped entice Armenia connected nan broader agreement, according to U.S. officials.

Meanwhile, Russia stood backmost erstwhile Azerbaijan reclaimed power of Karabakh successful nan September 2023 offensive, angering Armenia, which has moved to shed Russian power and move westward. Azerbaijan, emboldened by its triumph successful Karabakh, besides has go progressively defiant successful its relations pinch Moscow.