“I look forward to hosting the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinian, at the White House tomorrow for a Historic Peace Summit,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“These two Nations have been at War for many years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people,” he wrote. “Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to ‘TRUMP.’”
He said the talks will end in an “official Peace Signing Ceremony” but gave no details of Armenian-Azerbaijani documents that are due to be signed during it.
“The United States will also sign Bilateral Agreements with both Countries to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region. I am very proud of these courageous Leaders for doing the right thing for the Great People of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It will be a Historic Day for Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United States, and, THE WORLD,” added Trump.
His post came amid more Western media reports that Pashinian will commit to grant the United States exclusive rights to a transit corridor through Armenia’s strategic Syunik province demanded by Azerbaijan. It will be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), according to the reports citing unnamed U.S. officials.
“Armenia has agreed to award the U.S. exclusive special development rights on the Zangezur Corridor land for 99 years,” wrote Politico. “The U.S. would sublease the land to a consortium that will develop rail, oil, gas and fiber optic lines and possibly electricity transmission along the 27-mile corridor.”
Another U.S. online publication, Axios, said Pashinian’s government dropped its opposition to the land corridor after receiving assurances that Washington will help to deter possible Azerbaijani invasions of Syunik or other parts of Armenia.
“All the claims and reports that Armenia has agreed, is agreeing or will agree to ‘corridor’ solutions simply do not correspond to reality,” Pashinian’s press secretary, Nazeli Baghdasarian, claimed several hours before Friday’s summit.
Baghdasarian said that Yerevan’s position articulated by Pashinian at a July 16 news conference remains unchanged.
During that news conference, Pashinian signaled readiness to accept the transit arrangement proposed by Washington. He insisted that “outsourcing” management of the transit routes connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave would not violate Armenia’s territorial integrity.
Armenian opposition leaders dismissed those assurances, saying that the arrangement would undermine Armenian sovereignty over Syunik. They now portray the latest news reports coming from Washington as further proof that Pashinian has agreed to open the kind of an extraterritorial corridor that is sought by Azerbaijan and Turkey but strongly opposed by Iran.
Pashinian and his political allies have made conflicting statements on the proposed U.S. lease of the corridor which is understood to be part of the transit deal. The Armenian premier seemed open to the idea on July 16.
Politico also reported that Pashinian and Aliyev will sign a joint “peace” declaration at the White House. It said that their foreign ministers are expected to initial the text of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty that was finalized by the two sides in March.
Baku has made the signing of the treaty conditional on a change of Armenia’s constitution and the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinian has reportedly agreed to ask the OSCE to disband that group that was for decades co-chaired by the U.S., Russia and France.
While rejecting the other Azerbaijani precondition, Pashinian has pledged to enact a new Armenian constitution through a referendum. Such a vote is unlikely to be held before Armenia’s next parliamentary elections due in June 2026.