Trump Hosts Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Summit | WPN World People News

On August 8, U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a peace summit between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace agreement, officially ending 35 years of conflict and hostility between the two nations. Following the summit, both leaders praised President Trump for his contributions to ending the conflict and announced plans to jointly nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since the Soviet era in the 1980s, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been in a state of opposition due to the territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh. The two countries have fought two wars over the region. In September 2020, war broke out again over the control of Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan utilized a large number of suicide drones during the conflict and successfully regained control of the region. The prolonged fighting over the years resulted in thousands of casualties. Although several world leaders attempted to broker peace, none were successful until Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, visited Azerbaijan earlier this year. Continuous negotiations and mediation led to the eventual agreement.

Trump stated that the peace agreement signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan commits both parties to cease hostilities and establish diplomatic relations based on mutual respect for territorial integrity. The agreement includes expanding cooperation in energy, trade, and artificial intelligence, as well as opening a transportation corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. This corridor, which spans 32 kilometers through Armenian territory, will be developed by private enterprises to include railway lines, oil and gas pipelines, and fiber-optic networks. It will be named the *Trump International Road of Peace and Prosperity*.

In addition, the United States signed agreements with both Armenia and Azerbaijan granting the U.S. exclusive development rights to a strategic transit corridor through the South Caucasus. The agreements also lift restrictions on U.S.-Azerbaijan defense cooperation. Furthermore, the U.S. will sign bilateral agreements with both countries to further promote infrastructure development in transportation and energy.