ISLAMABAD : Monitoring Desk – A historic peace and strategic partnership agreement has finally been signed in Washington between Azerbaijan, the US, and Armenia that both the South Caucusus leaders express sure , will be a new beginning in their region and their people would be able to “turn over the dark page of history,” reconcile, and live in peace.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Washington with US President Donald Trump and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced the beginning of a new era in the history of the South Caucasus.
Aliyev expressed hope that the peoples of Azerbaijan and Armenia would be able to “turn over the dark page of history,” reconcile, and live in peace. He stressed that the peace achieved is not only an opportunity for the region but also for the entire world, opening the way to stability, investment, and prosperity.
The President of Azerbaijan thanked Donald Trump and his team, as well as Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, for successfully completing a years-long negotiation process in a short time. Aliyev noted that it was precisely thanks to the efforts of the American side that the sides were able to avoid protracted and fruitless talks.
The parties agreed to develop, within the next few months, a Charter on Strategic Partnership between Baku and Washington, covering key areas of cooperation: mutual investments, trade, energy, transport and transit projects, artificial intelligence, defense product sales, and counter-terrorism.
Aliyev also expressed special gratitude to the US President for repealing the long-standing Section 907 amendment applied to Azerbaijan, calling the decision “a day that will forever remain in the memory of the Azerbaijani people.”
Nobel for Trump
In recognition of the American leader’s role in establishing peace, Aliyev proposed, together with Nikol Pashinyan, appealing to the Nobel Committee to nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Trump Route
According to Aliyev, the so-called “Trump Route” to international peace and prosperity will create new lines of communication, remove barriers, and connect many countries, ensuring economic growth and security.
A peace “roadmap” between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia will establish a long-sought transit route and deepen the two nations’ bilateral ties with Washington, the White House said Friday hours before the signing of the agreement.
“The Roadmap will build a cooperative future that benefits both countries, their region of the South Caucasus, and beyond,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told reporters on a conference call. “By locking in this path to peace, we are unlocking the great potential of the South Caucasus region in trade, transit and energy.”
The agreement includes the development of what is being referred to as the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” which Kelly said will be a “multimodal transit area connecting mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people.”
Previous proposals to resolve the conflict included a route between the Nakhchivan exclave and mainland Azerbaijan known as the Zangezur Corridor. One of the officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said that with the agreement, “there’s no more talk of a corridor. There isn’t a corridor.”
Negotiations over who will operate the route are expected to begin in the middle of next week, and a senior administration official said that so far, nine potential operators have expressed interest, including three American firms.
Partnership with USA
Earlier, US President Mr. Trump, before signing of the deal, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan would also be signing agreements with the U.S. to “pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region.”
Bilateral agreements between President Ilham and PM Pashinyan address a wide range of bilateral issues, including energy, technology, economic cooperation, border security, infrastructure, and trade, according to the White House.
“Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to ‘TRUMP,’” Trump wrote Thursday night on his Truth Social site.
The prospective agreement could potentially put an end to decades of conflict and set the stage for a reopening of key transportation corridors across the South Caucasus that have been shut since the early 1990s.
“How President Trump has elegantly resolved his solution is by introducing the Trump route for international peace and prosperity,” the official said.
Working groups are expected to be launched immediately after the deal to iron out the details of the “roadmap” over the course of the coming months.
End of Minsk Group
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe will be requested to dissolve the Minsk Group, a mediation organization co-chaired by the US, Russia, and France to resolve the conflict between the nations.
