On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Armenia and Azerbaijan were committed to a permanent peace as he hosted a White House summit where the leaders of the two South Caucasus nations, which have fought for decades, signed a peace agreement.
“Armenia and Azerbaijan are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations and respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Trump said.
According to the White House,
The two leaders also signed bilateral economic agreements with the U.S., unlocking the great potential of the South Caucasus region in trade, transit, energy, infrastructure, and technology, and creating new opportunities for the American people and American businesses.
In addition, the U.S. president announced that he was lifting restrictions on military cooperation with Azerbaijan.
NATO on Saturday hailed the signing of a U.S.-brokered peace deal as a “significant step forward” in ending decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy also congratulated both countries “on the bold steps taken in Washington.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign ministry welcomed the peace deal but cautioned against foreign intervention, following the agreement that granted Washington development rights near the Iranian border.
The accord, which ended the long-running feud between the two countries, includes the creation of a transit corridor through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan—a longstanding demand of Baku.
The U.S. will have development rights for the corridor—dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity”—in the strategic, resource-rich region.
The peace accord received an unexpected twist when Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev suggested sending a joint nomination alongside Armenia for Trump to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
“So maybe we agree with Prime Minister Pashinyan to send a joint appeal to the Nobel committee to award President Trump with the Nobel Peace Prize,” he said at the White House event.
“I think President Trump deserves to have the Nobel Peace Prize and we will defend that, and we will promote that,” Pashinyan added.
