Azerbaijan and Armenia have formally renounced military confrontation, enshrining the decision in a declaration signed on August 8 in Washington with the mediation of U.S. President Donald Trump. The document capped negotiations that began in 2023, after Baku established full control over Nagorno-Karabakh. The text of the agreement was finalized in March 2025, but a July meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan in Abu Dhabi produced no tangible results.
"We have succeeded in establishing peace," Trump said, noting that the agreement does not yet constitute a full-fledged peace treaty. "They fought for 35 years, and now they are friends." Aliyev called the declaration a step toward "a bright and secure future" and "turning the page on confrontation and bloodshed." Pashinyan said the document opens "a new chapter of peace, prosperity, security, and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus."
Washington pledged to expand cooperation with both countries, signing separate agreements with Baku and Yerevan on developing energy, trade, and technology, including artificial intelligence. Trump also lifted a restriction on defense cooperation with Azerbaijan, in place since 1992 during the First Karabakh War.
A separate provision of the declaration addressed a transport corridor between Azerbaijan’s western regions and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The project—long a source of fierce opposition from Yerevan—will be placed under U.S. administration and named the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity." According to Trump, it will connect Azerbaijan with its exclave "while fully respecting Armenia’s sovereignty." The road development partnership is to last up to 99 years. Pashinyan called the project a catalyst that "will encourage investment and strengthen U.S. leadership in conflict resolution." Aliyev expressed confidence that the "Trump Route" will remove barriers in relations between the two countries.
The full text of the peace agreement is scheduled for publication on August 11. Aliyev said its signing should not be delayed, as the document has already been initialed.
Pashinyan also proposed revisiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, reverting to the Soviet-era demarcation. He allowed for possible land swaps "on the principle of equivalence" or referendums, provided that Armenia’s territory—29,743 square kilometers—does not shrink.
Russia did not take part in the negotiations. Both Baku and Yerevan are seeking to move out of Moscow’s sphere of influence, viewing normalization as a way to curb Russia’s presence in the South Caucasus. Pro-government media in both countries have spoken of "destructive forces seeking to derail the peace process," a reference to the Kremlin.