Azerbaijan and Armenia Sign Historic Peace Deal at White House

On August 8th, 2025, one of the most historic treaties between two countries was signed to bring peace to the Caucasus. Under the White House’s leadership, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister signed a peace treaty, establishing a milestone bilateral international relationship in the political history of both countries. The peace treaty commits the parties to recognize each other's territorial integrity and respect each other's political independence, renounce mutual territorial claims, and act in accordance with international law. It also prohibits the deployment of third-party forces along the border, establishes mechanisms to enhance trust and stability by ensuring that justice processes related to missing persons are carried out. Additionally, it commits to reestablishing diplomatic relations and determines to establish a bilateral commission to monitor implementation.

The September 2023 Azerbaijani operation towards Nagorno-Karabakh fundamentally changed the power balance in the South Caucasus. The operation resulted in the departure of Armenian forces from the region and the collapse of the de facto governance in the Karabakh region. On September 20, 2023, a ceasefire treaty, pioneered by Russian ombudsmen, officially led to the dissolution of the Artsakh Defense Army and Azerbaijan’s full control of the region. However, this development has opened a new era in terms of their bilateral relations rather than collapsing it. The delicate status quo that replaced the military presence in the region raised expectations for peace talks. It also triggered new power struggles among regional powers.

In the following two years, Armenia made a radical shift in its security policy and chose to strengthen its relationships with the West. The Yerevan administration signed a “Strategic Partnership Charter” with the US in January 2025, seeking to reduce its dependence on Moscow.  The partnership aims to commit to comprehensive cooperation in the areas of democracy, defense economy, and education.

This step enabled Washington to take on a more active mediating role in the South Caucasus and gave the peace process an international dimension. The United States’ intensive diplomatic efforts revived dialogue between the parties and laid the political and geopolitical groundwork for the peace agreement process.

On August 8, 2025, Washington, D.C.’s White House saw one of the most important diplomatic gatherings in today’s South Caucasus. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the “Agreement on Peace and Inter-State Relations,” which ended the 37-year war between the two countries. This diplomatic summit was considered a halt to the two-year intense clashes in Karabakh.

Both countries had finally reached an agreement on the text of the agreement, and the United States further supported negotiations. The White House saw a new page written not only between the two nations but in the power game of the entire region. In the event, Trump described the agreement as “a peace that was unimaginable” and drew attention to the fact that, in essence, it confirmed the status of the United States as a world mediator.

The most intriguing part of the treaty was the recognition of the strategic Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, through the trade transit route that will be a connection with Azerbaijan and southern Armenia. The Trump administration considered the route as the “Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” known as the Zangezur Corridor, where a 99-year development and operation rights will be delivered to the US. According to the treaty, all operations and infrastructure construction of railways, highways, energy, transmission lines, fiber optic infrastructure, and logistics centers will be transferred to US companies. This step will solidify the US presence in the Caucasus, while strengthening the West’s influence in the region, and reducing dependence on Russia for security. The Guardian described this initiative as “much a geopolitical chess move with economic integration”.

The peace agreement commits the parties to respect each other's political presence in the region mutually and refrain from any further military operations. The agreement also includes a provision for prohibiting the deployment of third-party military presence to the country's borders. The Guardian highlights the uncertainty of Russia’s peacekeeping presence around the region and reiterates Moscow’s warnings about the sensitivity of Western Power presence around the region. The agreement also provides the basis for re-establishing diplomatic relations, opening embassies, and the establishment of committees on finding missing citizens of both countries. The agreement also includes provisions for broad cooperation in the fields of energy, transportation technology, and artificial intelligence.

Many Western countries and international institutions have welcomed this event and considered this step a milestone for the bilateral relations of both countries. The Foreign Ministry of Spain has analyzed the treaty as a “historic moment halting a conflict ongoing for decades", emphasizing the importance of the development. Besides, the Secretary General of the European Council remarked on the development as a milestone for the serenity in the region. The Minsk Group from France declared its decision on withdrawal from the region and urged the rapid signature of the treaty. NATO's Secretary General also described the treaty, which specifically prohibits the deployment of third-party military forces to border areas, as "a strong step towards reducing tensions” to neutralize any further uprising in the area.

Russia and Iran have approached the agreement with caution. According to the Times of India, Moscow acknowledges that the process could provide stability in the Caucasus, but is particularly concerned about the long-term influence of the US. According to Fox News, the Russian Foreign Ministry argued that peace should only proceed through multilateral platforms involving the region's "historical security guarantors."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Qanani cautioned that the Zangezur Corridor would compromise Iran's security on the border. He stated that this situation would threaten the national sovereignty of Iran if it were to be implemented. Furthermore, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian highlighted China's interest in regional stability and expressed qualified approval. He signaled and emphasized the country's interests in contributing to future economic and infrastructural plans in the corridor.

In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan welcomed the deal as a "strategic breakthrough. He foresees this plan fueling regional commerce, deepening energy collaboration, and strengthening transportation links. Responses in Armenia remain sharply divided. Some viewed this milestone as a route to enduring peacetime and economic possibility, but others worry that they would be giving up national sovereignty. The deputy chief of the Iranian think tank, the Institute for Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, has stated that the acid test of the agreement does not lie in the signing ritual itself but in whether the accord can withstand the stress of regional political and geopolitical tumult of the South Caucasus.

In other words, the international arena welcomed the agreement with differing opinions. Western allies and organizations view it as a positive step toward security and peace, while Russia and Iran are concerned about external control and the risks it poses to the region. China is also cautious about supporting the agreement. Türkiye sees it as an opportunity to strengthen trade and energy relations. Most intriguingly, there are differing opinions regarding the future of this agreement, with some people welcoming it, while others are dubious about trusting a long-time enemy, namely, Azerbaijan.

Written by: Ibrahim Alparslan Ekmekci

Edited by: Defne Taykurt