WASHINGTON
The South Caucus nations of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a trilateral peace "roadmap" with the US on Friday that President Donald Trump said will end decades of conflict.
"With this accord, we've finally succeeded in making peace," Trump told reporters in the State Dining Room, where he was flanked by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan.
He underlined that by signing the accord, both nations "are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations and respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
One of the agreement's key components is the development of what is being called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which will connect mainland Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
It will run through Armenian territory in what Trump described as "an exclusive partnership with the United States to develop this corridor, which could extend for up to 99 years."
"We anticipate significant infrastructure development by American companies. They're very anxious to go into these two countries, and they're going to spend a lot of money, a lot of money, which will economically benefit all three of our nations," he said. "This is incredibly positive news for the future of the entire region."
Trump said that as part of the agreement, the US would be lifting restrictions on US defense cooperation with Azerbaijan.
For his part, Aliyev hailed the "historic day" being marked by the signing.
"We are today establishing peace in the Caucasus, which will open great opportunities, not only for our region," he said. "I'm sure that Armenia and Azerbaijan will find courage and responsibility to reconcile, and also the people will reconcile. We will turn the page of standoff confrontation, and bloodshed, and provide bright and safe future for our children."
Pashinyan said the leaders were ushering in a "new era based on the full respect for the sovereignty and territorial in the integrity of each other."
"Today's declarations which President Trump personally will sign as witness gives confidence and assurance that we're opening a chapter of peace, prosperity, security and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus," he said.
In a statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also welcomed the “historic peace deal.”
“President Trump brought these parties together and brokered a deal that ends decades of conflict,” he said.
“This is an opportunity for both countries to move forward and focus on unlocking the economic potential of the South Caucasus region, which will bring trade deals and prosperity for the American people and both Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he added.
The White House earlier described the TRIPP as a "multimodal transit area" linking Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the west via Armenian territory.
Previous proposals to resolve the conflict included a route between Nakhchivan and mainland Azerbaijan known as the Zangezur 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.
Working groups are expected to be launched immediately after the deal is inked to iron out the details of the "roadmap" over the course of the coming months.
The leaders also signed a joint letter requesting the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe dissolve the Minsk Group, a mediation organization co-chaired by the US, Russia, and France to resolve the conflict between the nations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of cross-border wars since the late 1980s, including most recently in 2023 when Azerbaijan reclaimed the territory of Karabakh.