The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace agreement at the White House on Friday, in a US-brokered deal, bringing decades of conflict to an end.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shook hands to mark the moment, with US President Donald Trump in the middle, as they posed for photographs.

The two South Caucasus countries signed bilateral agreements, as well as with the US, allowing for the reopening of key transportation routes. Within the deal is an agreement that will create a major transit corridor to be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, the White House said.

Earlier, Trump had announced that a new peace declaration between Armenia and Azerbaijan would establish a special transit corridor granting Azerbaijan access to its exclave, Nakhichevan, being separated by a 32km-wide (20-mile) patch of Armenian territory, while affirming the latter's sovereignty. 

For Azerbaijan, a major producer of oil and gas, the route also provides a more direct link to Turkey and onward to Europe.

Trump indicated he’d like to visit the route, saying, “We’re going to have to get over there.”

While Donald Trump said that naming the route after him was “a great honour for me,” he claimed, “I didn’t ask for this.” A senior administration official said it was the Armenians who suggested the name.

The Trump administration began active engagement earlier this year when Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Aliyev in Baku to discuss what a senior official described as a “regional reset". Talks on developing the Trump Route, which will feature rail lines, energy pipelines, and fiber optic cables, are set to begin next week, with at least nine interested developers, according to a US official speaking anonymously.

US-Armenian, US-Azerbaijani deals

Aside from the joint agreement, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed deals with the United States meant to bolster cooperation in energy, technology, and the economy, the White House said, as revealed by Trump in an earlier statement, with no further details released.

Both Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s leaders said the breakthrough was made possible by Trump and his team, joining a growing list of foreign leaders and other officials who have said Trump should receive the Nobel peace prize, which the US president said he'd be pursuing since day one in office. 

“We are laying a foundation to write a better story than the one we had in the past,” Pashinyan said, calling the agreement a “significant milestone”.

“President Trump in six months did a miracle,” Aliyev said.

On his part, Trump reflected on how long the conflict had gone on between the two countries. “Thirty-five years they fought, and now they’re friends and they’re going to be friends a long time,” he said.

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Asked how he feels about lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Trump said, “Very confident”.

'Historic Peace Summit'

Trump hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday for what he described as a "Historic Peace Summit" aimed at ending decades of hostilities between the two former Soviet republics.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "will join me at the White House for an official Peace Signing Ceremony," Trump posted Thursday on his Truth Social platform.

Speaking at the White House alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Trump said the route, which is a special transit area that will allow Azerbaijan to get full access to its territory of Nakhichevan, will also form the basis for a long-term US-Armenia partnership, potentially lasting up to 99 years.

Following the peace agreement, Trump announced that the US will sign bilateral deals with both Armenia and Azerbaijan to strengthen cooperation in trade, energy, and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence. He emphasized that American companies are expected to invest heavily in infrastructure projects across both countries, generating economic benefits for all sides involved.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been sworn enemies for decades, fighting two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan recaptured the territory from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, prompting the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

The two sides have engaged in multiple rounds of peace talks, including discussions last month in the United Arab Emirates, but a breakthrough has remained elusive.

Turkey, Iran react

Turkey welcomed progress toward "lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia" on Friday, following a trilateral peace roadmap the two South Caucasus nations signed with the US.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry hailed the "commitment recorded" in Washington with the deal, which it said came at a time "when international conflicts and crises are intensifying."

This step "constitutes a highly significant development for the promotion of regional peace and stability," it added.

The Ministry also praised the US Trump administration for its contributions to the process.

"A historic opportunity has emerged for the South Caucasus to attain peace and prosperity. As Türkiye, we will continue to contribute to the efforts aimed at realizing this opportunity and support the dedicated endeavors of our brotherly Azerbaijan," the statement said.

Iran welcomes, treads more caution

Taking a more cautious approach to the US-brokered deal, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said the Islamic Republic of Iran is closely following developments in the South Caucasus and remains in contact with both neighboring countries, the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, regarding these events.

The Ministry added that undoubtedly, peace and stability in the Caucasus region benefit all countries in the area.

While Iran welcomed the finalization of the peace agreement text by the two countries, considering it a significant step toward achieving lasting peace in the region, it expressed concern over the negative consequences of any form of foreign intervention, especially near its shared borders, that could undermine the region’s security and stability.

While stressing the need for political, legal, and economic measures to protect its national rights and interests, Iran believes that opening communication routes and unblocking transportation networks will serve the stability, security, and economic development of the region’s peoples only if pursued within the framework of mutual interests, respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and without foreign interference.

Iran reaffirmed its readiness to continue constructive cooperation based on mutual interests with both Azerbaijan and Armenia to safeguard peace, stability, and economic development in the region, including through regional formats such as the 3+3 mechanism.