WASHINGTON, DC — The reputable American publication Axios reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has described today’s White House meeting with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan as a “historic peace summit,” presenting himself as the world’s chief peacemaker.
According to the publication, the agreement to be signed under U.S. mediation is aimed at ensuring peace but also contains a significant economic component. Armenia has agreed to allow the passage of a 43.5-kilometer transit route through its territory, to be developed by the United States and named the “Trump International Peace and Prosperity Corridor.”
The arrangement, Axios notes, will enable the movement of people and goods between Turkey and Azerbaijan and onward to Central Asia without passing through Iran or Russia.
“This is currently impossible because the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is closed. With the reopening, Americans would gain billions of dollars annually from new trade. Russia, Iran, and China would lose influence over a part of the world they have long considered their domain,” the publication states.
U.S. involvement in the conflict began in March, when White House special envoy Steve Witkoff made an unexpected visit to Baku from Moscow.
An American official said Witkoff’s trip was made at the request of the Qatari government, prompting him to seek a deal.
Following the trip, Witkoff tasked special government official Aryeh Lightstone with leading diplomatic efforts. Lightstone made five trips to the region to negotiate with the parties.
Lightstone had previously served as the top aide to then-U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman in the “Trump 1.0” initiative and is close to Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
As Axios explains, the Trump administration offered Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan the idea that, by agreeing to allow the U.S. to develop the transit corridor, Armenia would gain an ally in Washington and a strong deterrent against any possible Azerbaijani invasion.
