The U.S. outlet Axios reported that President Donald Trump has described today’s gathering as a “historic peace summit,” presenting himself as the world’s chief peacemaker.
The planned U.S.-brokered agreement aims to secure peace but also includes a major economic element: Armenia has agreed to allow a 43.5-kilometer corridor across its territory, to be developed by the U.S. and named the “Trump International Peace and Prosperity Route.” This route would link most of Azerbaijan to a small Azerbaijani enclave near the Turkish border, Radar Armenia wrote.
According to Axios, the corridor will allow people and goods to move between Turkey and Azerbaijan — and beyond to Central Asia — without passing through Iran or Russia, something impossible today due to the closed Armenia–Azerbaijan border. Iran is firmly opposed to the project, Russia has also criticized it, while Turkey supports it.
The outlet noted that unblocking this route could earn Americans billions of dollars annually from new trade, while Russia, Iran, and China would lose influence in a region they have long considered their sphere of control. It stressed that Armenia dropped its long-standing opposition to the corridor during talks with the U.S.
Axios detailed that the Trump administration’s involvement began in March, when White House special envoy Steve Witkoff made an unannounced trip from Moscow to Baku at the request of Qatar’s government, which prompted him to try brokering a deal. Following the trip, Witkoff tasked special government official Aryeh Lightstone — a former senior aide to then-U.S. ambassador to Israel David Friedman and close to Jared Kushner — to lead the diplomatic effort. Lightstone made five trips to the region for negotiations.
According to the publication, the Trump administration pitched the idea to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as a way to gain a friend in Washington and a strong buffer against any future Azerbaijani incursions.
On August 8, Trump will host Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House. After separate meetings, a trilateral session will follow, during which Trump says they will formally sign a peace agreement along with other documents.
