Donald Trump hosts historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Donald Trump is hosting the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the White House on Friday for what the US president has already called “a historic peace summit”.

“These two nations have been at war for many years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev have arrived in Washington on Thursday, and they will have their meetings with Trump to sign bilateral agreements with the US. 

After almost four decades of bitter conflict, Baku and Yerevan might finally settle for peace in the region and notably do it far from Moscow, with both former Soviet South Caucasus countries distancing themselves from Russia and the Kremlin's influence.

Holding a meeting in the White House alongside the US president would send a strong signal to Moscow regarding the two countries' commitment to finding a solution among themselves, but also redirect their foreign policy focus to the West.

It would also reinforce Trump’s broader effort to assert himself and the US as a major actor in resolving global conflicts.

The timing of the meeting in the White House would certainly rattle Moscow: on the day of Trump’s deadline for the Kremlin to agree to a ceasefire, two of Russia’s former close allies are in Washington, possibly signing their own historic peace accord.

On 10 July, Aliyev and Pashinyan met in Abu Dhabi for the first formal bilateral meeting. The leaders aimed at finalising the details of the peace treaty between the two countries and forging a future side by side after nearly four decades of conflict. 

The critical issue on the peace talks agenda is the Zangezur Corridor — a proposed transport route designed to connect Azerbaijan's mainland with its enclave, which borders Baku's ally Turkey via Armenian territory.