Armenia and Azerbaijan Sign Declaration on Peaceful Relations in Washington

With the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a declaration in Washington on peaceful relations between the two countries,  Orda.kz reports.

A Historic Declaration

The document reaffirms both sides’ commitment to sign and ratify an already agreed peace treaty, pledging to avoid military confrontation and to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ahead of the signing, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed the agreement on peace and interstate relations, confirming its content.

Key provisions include opening regional transport links and establishing a corridor between mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory along the Iranian border.

Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministers also initialed a draft peace agreement and jointly appealed to shut down the OSCE Minsk Process.

Dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, the project will connect Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, strengthen ties with Türkiye, and serve as part of broader infrastructure diplomacy. 

According to White House Press Secretary Anne Kelly, the corridor will operate under full respect for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The U.S. will hold exclusive rights to implement the route for 99 years. Armenia will lease the land to the U.S., enabling a U.S.-backed consortium to build infrastructure — but Armenia retains legal ownership

A 32-kilometer stretch of Armenian territory separates Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, and the project is expected to facilitate the free movement of goods and people while boosting economic integration. 

Expert Opinion

RFL/RE reports that experts caution that, despite the declaration, a final peace treaty has yet to be signed.

Laurence Broers of Chatham House noted that several conditions — including constitutional changes demanded by Baku — remain unresolved. During the above ceremony, Aliyev said he is confident Armenia will amend its Constitution to remove territorial claims against Azerbaijan, calling it a matter of respect for the United States.

Meanwhile, Konul de Moor of the International Crisis Group added that details about the corridor’s rules, operations, and border arrangements are still unclear.

In the coming days, we will have more information about that road or corridor. Is it still the corridor that Azerbaijan has been insisting on? What will the rules and regulations be? How will the borders be opened? Have these issues been resolved?  she said.

Incidentally, before the signing, Nazeli Baghdasaryan, spokesperson for Armenia's Prime Minister, announced that claims and publications stating that Armenia has agreed, is agreeing, or will agree to "corridor-type' solutions simply do not correspond to reality.

Prime Minister Pashinyan very clearly and unambiguously presented the Republic of Armenia’s position during his press conference on July 16 of this year. Any other interpretation is out of the question,  she wrote on her social media.

The OSCE welcomed the progress and called on both sides to take all possible steps to achieve lasting peace, reiterating its readiness to support the process.