Trump hailed as 'peacemaker' as Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to stop fighting 'forever'

Armenia and Azerbaijan have pledged to end decades of hostility, announced US President Donald Trump on Friday (Aug 8) at the White House. Flanked by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Trump, who took centre stage as mediator, declared the agreement a commitment to "to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations and respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity". The exact legal force of the deal, however, remains uncertain.

Decades of conflict over?

The handshake between Pashinyan and Aliyev marked a symbolic breakthrough after years of bitter conflict. The two countries, both former Soviet republics, have fought two wars over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan fully reclaimed in a 2023 military offensive that drove more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from their homes.

Aliyev hailed the "historic signature" between two "countries which were at war for more than three decades" and said he would join Pashinyan in nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. "Who, if not President Trump, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?" he asked.

Pashinyan echoed that praise, calling the US president a "peacemaker" whose role was critical in reaching the "breakthrough". He said that the "initialling of (the) peace agreement will pave the way to end decades of conflict between our countries and open a new era."

Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement: details and how the US would benefit

It was not clear how binding the agreement between the two long-time foes was. Part of the agreement involves creating a transit route through Armenia linking Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan — a long-standing demand from Baku. The United States will have development rights for the corridor, called the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP). Asked about Armenia’s gains, a White House official described the US as "an enormous strategic commercial partner," suggesting that the agreement was a blow to rivals Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran: “The losers here are China, Russia, and Iran.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by Armenian-backed forces for nearly 30 years after the Soviet collapse. Turkey, a key ally of Azerbaijan, welcomed the development, calling it an important step toward "establishing a lasting peace" in the Caucasus.

The deal follows months of negotiations. While the two sides reached agreement on a draft text in March, talks stalled when Azerbaijan demanded that Armenia amend its constitution to drop claims to Karabakh. Pashinyan has said a constitutional referendum will be held in 2027, a move that remains politically sensitive.