'They're going to be friends for a long time': Trump makes Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal a reality after 35 years of rivalry

This Friday, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement brokered by President Donald Trump at a ceremony at the White House. The pact seeks to end decades of conflict between the two South Caucasus nations by boosting bilateral economic ties and reopening key transportation corridors in the region. The agreement represents a significant achievement for the Trump Administration and could reshape geopolitical dynamics in an area historically influenced by Russia.

President Trump, along with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stressed the importance of the moment. It's been a long time—35 years—since they fought. Now they're friends, and they're going to be friends for a long time."

The agreement commits both countries to cease hostilities, establish diplomatic relations, and respect each other's territorial integrity, marking a milestone in a rivalry that dates back to the late 1980s.

Peace and prosperity

Central to the agreement is the creation of the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," a 20-mile strategic transit corridor that will connect Azerbaijan with its autonomous enclave of Nakhchivan, separated by Armenian territory.

This corridor, which will eventually include rail lines, oil pipelines, gas pipelines, and fiber optic lines, will be developed with exclusive rights for the United States.

Along these lines, spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated that this corridor will "allow unimpeded connectivity between the two countries while respecting Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people." According to CBS News.

In addition to the joint agreement, the U.S. signed bilateral pacts with Armenia and Azerbaijan to foster cooperation in energy, technology, artificial intelligence, trade, border security, and infrastructure. Trump also announced that restrictions on defense cooperation with Azerbaijan were lifted, which could strengthen military ties with the oil- and gas-producing country.

Both leaders praise Trump

Both leaders praised Trump's role in the mediation. Aliyev declared, "Who, if not President Trump, deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?" while Pashinyan called the agreement a "significant milestone" for writing "a better story than the one we had in the past."

Both officials thus nominated Trump for the Nobel, joining a growing number of leaders who have endorsed his candidacy for his role in recent peace agreements.

For her part, Secretary of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard noted in an interview with Fox News the importance of President Trump's stewardship:

“Under this president's leadership, this historic peace deal has been truly made into a reality... these two countries have been in some form of conflict... for over 35 YEARS!"

A long Republican administration and a blow to Russia

The deal, hatched after months of negotiations led by Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, marks a setback for Russia's influence in the South Caucasus, a region that Moscow had historically brokered to maintain its dominance.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 weakened its ability to influence the area, allowing the United States to position itself as a key player. U.S. officials stressed that this pact is the first to resolve frozen conflicts on Russia's periphery since the end of the Cold War, sending a "powerful signal" to the region.

The agreement also dissolves the Minsk Group, established in the 1990s under the OSCE to mediate the conflict and co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States, which the White House now considers irrelevant.

The conflict between the two countries

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has historically centered on Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region within Azerbaijan but populated mostly by ethnic Armenians.

Since Nagorno-Karabakh seceded from Azerbaijan with Armenian support in the 1990s, the two nations have engaged in multiple conflicts, including a 1994 war that left some 30,000 dead and 1 million displaced, and another in 2020 with more than 6,700 dead.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan regained full control of the region, triggering the exodus of nearly 100,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia.