On Friday, August 8, 2025, Washington is set to host an event already being called a potential milestone in the history of the South Caucasus. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan — Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev — will arrive at the White House to sign a document in the presence of U.S. President Donald Trump that could mark the first step toward a full-fledged peace treaty between the two nations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement is intended to launch a new chapter in relations between Baku and Yerevan. According to him, the deal will address not only the cessation of hostilities but also a comprehensive settlement of disputes, including the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh and the creation of a transport corridor through Armenia’s Syunik province.
The project has been named Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). It will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan and, according to Washington, will be placed under U.S. commercial management. The American administration believes this new transport artery will be more than just a road — it will become a symbol of economic cooperation and a platform for long-term regional stability.
Rubio emphasized that the White House initiative builds on recent diplomatic successes — from normalizing relations between Cambodia and Thailand to mediating dialogue between India and Pakistan.
Experts, however, caution that the road to lasting peace remains challenging — from deep-rooted mutual mistrust to concerns among local communities on both sides of the border. Nevertheless, the very willingness of the parties to sign an agreement under U.S. mediation is already being seen as a rare chance to shift from decades of confrontation to cooperation.
If the deal is indeed concluded on Friday, it could be regarded as the beginning of a long, yet perhaps the most important, journey toward lasting peace in the South Caucasus.
Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict Timeline and TRIPP Corridor Economic Impact
The chart illustrates the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict timeline and the projected economic impact of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) corridor. The line dataset shows key conflict events (wars, ceasefires) from 1988 to 2025, highlighting milestones like the 1994 ceasefire and 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh recapture. The bar dataset estimates trade volume growth through the TRIPP corridor, from $0.5B in 2025 to $3B by 2030, reflecting its potential to boost regional economic cooperation.
