President Ilham Aliyev signals peace progress, highlights strategic corridors

President Ilham Aliyev said he hopes a peace agreement with Armenia will be signed this year, describing recent developments as evidence that lasting stability in the South Caucasus is within reach.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference during a panel discussion titled “Open Corridor Policy? Deepening Trans-Caspian Cooperation”, the President said the peace process had already produced tangible results on the ground.

“I hope that we will sign the peace agreement this year,” he said, noting that since the joint declaration signed in Washington last August, the situation along the Azerbaijan–Armenia border has fundamentally changed, with no shootings, casualties or incidents recorded.

Aliyev added that practical cooperation between the two countries had already begun, including the removal of transit restrictions and the start of petroleum product supplies to Armenia.

TRIPP Corridor and Regional Connectivity

The President also addressed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), also known as the Zangezur corridor, which aims to connect mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia.

Aliyev said the naming of the initiative after U.S. President Donald Trump signals long-term American engagement.

“The fact that TRIPP carries President Trump’s name means this corridor will be important for this administration and perhaps beyond,” he said. “Otherwise, the President would not have given his name to it.”

According to Aliyev, discussions are under way between the United States and Armenia regarding the operating framework of a company that would manage construction and investment rights for the project.

He emphasised that the corridor would form part of a broader Eurasian transport chain stretching from China through Central Asia, across the Caspian Sea and the South Caucasus to Türkiye and Europe.

In parallel, Azerbaijan is working with Central Asian partners to lay a fibre-optic cable under the Caspian Sea, expected to be completed this year.

“If peace with Armenia is achieved, the corridor from Azerbaijan through Armenia to European destinations has great cargo potential,” Aliyev said.

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Middle Corridor Expansion

Aliyev highlighted record cargo transit volumes through Azerbaijan last year, exceeding 100,000 transport units. He said the figure could reach 200,000 to 300,000 in the coming years, with a long-term target of 500,000.

The country is expanding its sea port and investing in rail infrastructure, including a 600-kilometre railway network linking mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. In Armenia, the required railway stretch is just over 40 kilometres.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said the peace process “opens new doors” and noted that by 2030 cargo flows along the Trans-Caspian route could triple.

Chinese policy expert Wang Huiyao also expressed support for expanded connectivity, describing the Trans-Caspian corridor as complementary to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Constitution and Peace Conditions

Aliyev reiterated that the final step towards signing a formal peace treaty depends on amendments to Armenia’s Constitution, specifically the removal of territorial claims against Azerbaijan contained in its preamble.

“Once that happens, the next day the peace agreement will be signed,” he said.

Relations with Russia

The President also addressed a question regarding Russian strikes in Ukraine that reportedly affected Azerbaijani-owned energy infrastructure and diplomatic facilities.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s embassy in Kyiv had been hit three times during missile and drone attacks.

“After the first attack we provided all coordinates of our diplomatic facilities to the Russian side,” he said. “Despite this, there were two additional attacks.”

He described the incidents as deliberate, noting that Azerbaijan had supplied Russia with the exact coordinates of its embassy, consular section and cultural centres after the first strike.

“These were deliberate attacks against Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission,” he said.

Aliyev added that Azerbaijan had responded through diplomatic channels, summoning the Russian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and issuing a formal diplomatic note.

“We act only through diplomatic means,” he said. “But these actions cannot be considered friendly.”

In addition to the embassy strikes, Azerbaijani-owned energy facilities in Ukraine,  including a SOCAR oil depot and a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas, were also reportedly damaged in Russian attacks in 2024 and 2025.

The panel concluded with discussions on customs simplification, private sector involvement and the broader geopolitical implications of emerging Eurasian transport routes.

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