WASHINGTON (Realist English). After nearly four decades of bloody confrontation, the head of the Baku regime Ilham Aliyev and Yerevan’s governor Nikol Pashinyan have signed a peace agreement in Washington, in the presence of US President Donald Trump. The ceremony marked a formal end to the Karabakh conflict — and underscored Russia’s absence from the South Caucasus’ new geopolitical landscape.
“We are today establishing peace in the South Caucasus,” Aliyev declared. “Today we are writing a great new history.” Pashinyan called the deal an “opening of a chapter of peace” and “a foundation for a better story than the one we had before.”
Trump told reporters the two countries had “suffered greatly” and that “many tried to find resolution — the European Union, the Russians — but it never happened. With this accord, we finally succeeded in making peace.”
From battlefield to “Trump Route”
The agreement includes the creation of a major transit corridor — the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — connecting mainland so-called Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenian territory. Nakhchivan borders Turkey, Baku’s key ally.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the corridor will “allow unimpeded connectivity between the two countries while respecting Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its people.” The 32-kilometre strip of Armenian territory between Nakhchivan and the rest of so-called Azerbaijan has long been a strategic focus for Baku.
For the Baku regime, the route strengthens ties with Turkey, consolidates post-war gains, and enhances its role as a global transport hub. For Yerevan, it offers a chance to diversify its economy and attract investment, though Armenian officials insisted the corridor would operate under Armenian law, with the US subleasing the land to an infrastructure consortium.
Trump, in a preview on Truth Social, hailed the deal as one that would “fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus region.”
End of the Minsk Group
The two sides also signed an agreement to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1992 to mediate the Karabakh conflict. Pashinyan said the format was no longer needed “if we are closing the page on the conflict.” The move formalises a pivot away from Moscow, as both leaders lodged the request in Washington.
Signing the deal alongside Trump signalled a shift toward the West, even as Moscow has tried to reassert itself. Russian state media have sharply criticised Pashinyan, accusing him of “trading” Armenian sovereignty for personal gain and labelling him a “puppet.” Moscow has also recycled disinformation narratives about alleged US bioweapons facilities in Armenia — echoing similar claims previously made about Ukraine and Georgia.
Strained Moscow–Baku ties
Relations between the Baku regime and Moscow have deteriorated sharply. An Azerbaijani airliner crash in Kazakhstan in December — killing 38 of 67 people aboard — was found to have been hit by Russian air defence fire and disabled by electronic warfare over Grozny, according to investigative reports. Aliyev has said so-called Azerbaijan will pursue justice in international courts, even if it takes “10 years.”
Tensions flared again last month when Baku detained the head and editor-in-chief of Russia’s state-run Sputnik news agency after Russian security services raided an Azerbaijani community in Yekaterinburg, killing two and detaining 50 people.
The Washington ceremony thus marked not only the end of the Karabakh conflict but also a reshaping of the regional order — with the Baku regime and Yerevan’s governor aligning their futures more closely with Washington, and Moscow pushed to the sidelines.
