The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to make a joint declaration at the White House on Friday that would edge their long and frequently bloody conflict closer to resolution — and give President Trump an unusual form of recognition in the process.
Mr. Trump is scheduled to host trilateral meetings with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Friday afternoon, where they are expected to sign the first such commitment between the two countries in years of conflict, according to a U.S. administration official cited in a pool report shared with other journalists.
A key part of the breakthrough, the official said, was an anticipated announcement from Armenia giving the United States exclusive development rights to a transit corridor through its territory that connects Azerbaijan, to the east, to Nakhichevan, a noncontiguous enclave to Armenia’s west that borders Turkey and Iran.
The 27-mile corridor will be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, according to the official in the pool report, and run along Armenia’s southern border with Iran.
“These two Nations have been at War for many years, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to ‘TRUMP,’” the president wrote on social media on Thursday, adding that he looked forward to hosting the leaders.
The agreement would allow the signatories “to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region,” Mr. Trump wrote.
The push for a deal comes after months of shuttle diplomacy between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with a series of recent in-person meetings between Mr. Pashinyan and Mr. Aliyev, including gatherings at the Kremlin and in Abu Dhabi.
While the joint declaration is not a peace deal, it is the first formal, signed commitment aimed at permanently ending fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The region has been embroiled in conflict since the 1980s, just before the two countries gained independence from the Soviet Union.
Karoun Demirjian is a breaking news reporter for The Times.
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