Trump signs new peace agreement that includes the 'Trump Route'
The peace deal includes a 20-mile route through the South Caucasus connecting Armenia and Azerbaijan. The United States will have exclusive development rights for the corridor.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace agreement at the White House on Aug. 8 that ends a decades-long war between the two former Soviet republics and reopens critical transportation access in the region.
During a ceremony in the State Dining Room, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan heaped praise on the two-term Republican president and at one point said Trump deserved the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
Their joint declaration establishes a "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," a 20-mile multi-modal transit corridor through the South Caucasus connecting the two countries. The United States will have exclusive development rights along it.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds since the late 1980s when Nagorno-Karabakh ‒ an Azerbaijani region that had a mostly ethnic-Armenian population ‒ broke away from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan won independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, though they've since been "preoccupied with wars and occupation and bloodshed," Aliyev said at the White House.
“This is a great deal we achieve today,” Pashinyan said. “It’s a success for the world, because a more peaceful region means a safer world.”
During his remarks, Trump said he was also lifting restrictions on defense cooperation between Azerbaijan and the U.S.
"For more than 35 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a bitter conflict that resulted in tremendous suffering for both nations," Trump said. "They suffered gravely for so many years. Many tried to find a resolution including the European Union. The Russians worked very hard on. It never happened."
Trump administration officials have quietly worked for months to secure an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"These two Nations have been at War for many years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people," Trump said in an Aug. 7 post on his social media site Truth Social. "Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to 'TRUMP.'"
Contributing: Reuters
(This story has been updated with more photos and information.)