'The Roadmap they are agreeing to will build a cooperative future that benefits both countries, their region of the South Caucasus, and beyond,' says spokesperson
A peace "roadmap" set to be signed between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia will establish a long-sought transit route and deepen the two nations’ bilateral ties with Washington, the White House said Friday.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are slated to arrive separately at the White House on Friday, with Pashinyan arriving first, followed by Aliyev. The two will hold separate bilateral meetings with Trump before coming together for a trilateral signing ceremony in the State Dining Room.
"The Roadmap they are agreeing to will build a cooperative future that benefits both countries, their region of the South Caucasus, and beyond," White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told reporters on a conference call. "By locking in this path to peace, we are unlocking the great potential of the South Caucasus region in trade, transit and energy."
The agreement includes the development of what is being referred to as the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity," which Kelly said will be a "multimodal transit area connecting mainland Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, while respecting Armenia's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its people."
Previous proposals to resolve the conflict included a route between the Nakhchivan exclave and mainland Azerbaijan known as the Zangezur Corridor. One of the officials who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said that with the agreement, "there's no more talk of a corridor. There isn't a corridor."
"How President Trump has elegantly resolved his solution is by introducing the Trump route for international peace and prosperity," the official said.
Negotiations over who will operate the route are expected to begin in the middle of next week, and a senior administration official said that so far, nine potential operators have expressed interest, including three American firms.
Working groups are expected to be launched immediately after the deal is inked to iron out the details of the "roadmap" over the course of the coming months.
The leaders will also sign a joint letter requesting the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe dissolve the Minsk Group, a mediation organization co-chaired by the US, Russia, and France to resolve the conflict between the nations.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of cross-border wars since the late 1980s, including most recently in 2023 when Azerbaijan reclaimed the territory of Karabakh.
Pashinyan and Aliyev will separately sign bilateral agreements with the US intended to "unlock our relationships with each country and the region while benefiting American businesses," Kelly said.
The agreements address a wide range of bilateral issues, including energy, technology, economic cooperation, border security, infrastructure, and trade, according to the White House.
