Azerbaijan and Armenia Sign Historic Peace Deal at White House Summit

In a historic breakthrough for the Caucasus region, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement at the White House on Friday, marking the formal end to decades of hostility over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Hosted by US President Donald Trump, the deal promises to halt fighting “forever” and pave the way for open travel, trade, and diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shook hands after the signing, with Trump hailing the event as a “long time coming” and “historic.”

Background: Decades of Conflict

The roots of the Azerbaijan–Armenia conflict stretch back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the two nations fought a brutal war over Nagorno-Karabakh—an ethnically Armenian enclave within Azerbaijani territory. Despite a 1994 ceasefire, violence repeatedly flared in the years that followed, with deadly clashes as recently as the early 2020s.

The key sticking point in recent negotiations has been the Nakhchivan corridor—a route that would connect mainland Azerbaijan with its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, which is separated by Armenian territory. Azerbaijan has long sought a transport link, while Armenia insisted on maintaining control over any such route.

Key Terms of the Peace Agreement

According to the White House, the agreement includes,

• A permanent end to all fighting between the two countries.
• The reopening of key transport routes, including a new transit corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan.
• Joint efforts to expand trade, travel, and diplomatic relations.
• US assistance in constructing the corridor, officially named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.

The corridor has been a central dispute in past negotiations. President Aliyev once threatened to seize it by force, but under the new agreement, it will be built with joint oversight and American involvement, ensuring both nations’ interests are protected.

US Diplomacy and Geopolitical Shift

This peace deal marks a major geopolitical shift. For over a century, Russia—and more recently President Vladimir Putin—has been the main power broker in the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict. The last major agreement between the two nations was mediated by Moscow.

However, with this new American-led deal, Russia has been largely sidelined. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan abandoned Russian proposals in favour of a US-brokered solution, strengthening Washington’s influence in the strategically important Caucasus region.

The announcement also comes just before Trump is set to meet Putin in Alaska next week, adding a layer of diplomatic intrigue.