Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a US-brokered peace deal at the White House, ending decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and reopening diplomatic relations.

Key Provisions of the Deal

• Permanent End to Hostilities: Both nations commit to stopping all fighting “forever” and maintaining peaceful relations.
• Reopening of Transport Routes: Key road and rail links between the two countries will be restored to facilitate travel and trade.
• Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity: A major US-funded transit corridor will connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenian territory, resolving a long-standing territorial dispute.
• Economic Cooperation: The US will expand energy and technology trade with both countries, enhancing development and economic ties in the Caucasus.

About Nagorno-Karabakh

• Geographic Location: A mountainous region at the southern end of the Karabakh range, situated within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognised borders.
• Demographics and Governance: Majority Armenian population; controlled for nearly three decades by pro-Yerevan separatists with their own unrecognised government close to Armenia.
• Strategic Importance: Proximity to vital oil and gas pipelines running from energy-rich Azerbaijan through the Caucasus to Turkey and Europe.

Background of the Conflict

• Soviet Era Origins: Tensions date back to the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union collapsed.
• First War (1988–1994): Armenia-backed forces seized Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding Azerbaijani territories; the war caused tens of thousands of deaths and mass displacement.
• Ceasefire and Continued Clashes: A Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994 left Nagorno-Karabakh under Armenian control, but violence periodically flared, most recently in large-scale clashes.
• Geopolitical Stakes: The Caucasus is a strategic crossroads between Europe and Asia, drawing interest from Russia, Turkey, Iran, and now the US.

Significance of the New Deal

• Historic Peace Breakthrough: Ends a 35-year conflict, marking the first direct US-led mediation in the Caucasus and resolving the Nakhchivan corridor dispute peacefully.
• Economic and Energy Integration: Paves the way for enhanced trade, energy cooperation, and regional connectivity among Armenia, Azerbaijan, and neighbouring partners.
• Strategic Power Shift: Diminishes Russia’s mediation role while strengthening US geopolitical influence and stability efforts in the region.

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