Washington 2025: The Role of the United States in the Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Process

On 8 August 2025, in Washington, United States of America, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, together with the President of the United States Donald Trump, convened to discuss the current state of affairs in the region. Following this meeting, a joint statement was issued, which read as follows:
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, jointly endorsed the "Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia" in the form of a formal document. It was recognised that further measures were required in order to sign and finally ratify the agreement. The importance of maintaining and strengthening peace between the two countries was emphasised. Furthermore, the joint appeal of the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was endorsed, accompanied by a request to close the OSCE Minsk Process and associated structures. The appeal issued by the Committee calls upon the OSCE participating States to lend their support to this decision. It was asserted that the opening of communications between the two countries was of paramount importance for the promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in the region. This was to be achieved through the facilitation of domestic, bilateral and international travel, with the fundamental principles of respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction of states being paramount. This includes ensuring unimpeded communication between the mainland of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic through the territory of Armenia, to the mutual benefit of Armenia's international and domestic relations. The Republic of Armenia has committed to collaborating with the United States and third parties to establish a conceptual framework for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, with the aim of providing transportation connectivity within Armenia. It was asserted by the parties concerned that they were steadfast in their commitment to collaborate in a spirit of good faith in order to accomplish this objective within the most expedient timeframe. The Sides recognised the necessity to establish a course for a more promising future, one that would be free from the conflicts of the past. This was to be achieved in accordance with the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration. Conditions have been established for the fostering of amicable relations, predicated on the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force to acquire territory in the aftermath of a conflict that has resulted in significant human suffering. It is evident that there is a resolute rejection of any endeavours to exact retribution, both in the present and in the future.
The summit was perceived as having laid a solid foundation for mutual respect and the promotion of peace in the region. It was asserted that profound gratitude was extended to the President of the United States of America, Donald J. Trump, for his cordial hospitality in hosting this summit of great import, in addition to his substantial contribution to the normalisation of bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Declaration was signed by Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America, as a guarantor of the witness.
Furthermore, during the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation between SOCAR and ExxonMobil Corporation was signed in the presence of the President of Azerbaijan and the Special Representative of the President of the United States. The document aims to strengthen the existing positive relations between the companies and explore potential areas of cooperation in assessing the possibilities of producing both conventional and unconventional oil and gas in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
During the visit, the presidents of the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding, designed to bring Azerbaijan–US relations to the level of a strategic partnership, entitled 'Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the United States of America on the Establishment of a Strategic Working Group to Develop a Charter on Strategic Partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America'. According to the memorandum, a strategic working group will be set up within six months to develop the charter. This charter will strengthen the strategic partnership in areas of mutual interest. The working group will prioritise areas such as regional connectivity (including energy, trade and transit), economic investment (including artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure), and defence, security and counter-terrorism. This is particularly important in terms of creating an institutional basis for practical bilateral cooperation.
GSR

SR-CENTER.INFO