Trump hosts Aliyev and Pashinyan in high-stakes South Caucasus summit

U.S. President Donald Trump is hosting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Washington on Friday for separate and trilateral talks aimed at advancing peace and regional cooperation in the South Caucasus.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev arrived in Washington at the invitation of President of the United States of America Trump and was received at Joint Base Andrews by U.S. officials. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is also in the U.S., with bilateral meetings scheduled for Friday before a joint session with all three leaders.

The White House said the summit aims to promote peace, prosperity and enhanced economic cooperation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, long-time rivals in the South Caucasus. A joint announcement is expected following the talks.

Officials and analysts close to the discussions suggest that a framework agreement or letter of intent may be signed, enshrining commitments toward a future peace treaty and potentially resolving long-standing disputes, including the contentious issue of the Zangezur Corridor.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Orkhan Amashov, a regional analyst, said: “Some form of official document with proper signatures committing the sides to a peace deal is confidently expected to be attained in Washington.” He referred to the gathering as the “Washington Peace Summit.”

Vasif Huseynov, head of the Department for the Center of Analysis of International Relations in Baku, added that new information indicates a breakthrough may be announced regarding the Zangezur Corridor- a proposed land route linking mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan via Armenian territory. According to leaks cited by Huseynov, the corridor’s operation could be governed under a new legal and logistical framework called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), with commercial oversight and no Russian involvement.

“The U.S. wants to take a central role in the new regional security order,” Huseynov said, noting that Azerbaijan’s concerns over unobstructed access and Armenia’s sovereignty appear to have been jointly addressed.

Both experts agreed that while a full peace treaty is unlikely to be signed immediately, the summit may yield a memorandum or protocol of understanding, setting principles for bilateral progress. Amashov added that the envisioned arrangement could involve a third-party commercial operator registered under Armenian jurisdiction to manage the corridor.

Oubai Shahbandar, reporting from Washington, said the talks also represent a diplomatic milestone for President Trump, who has sought to expand his administration’s foreign policy legacy. The summit follows earlier Trump-brokered accords involving Thailand and Cambodia, India and Pakistan, and the Abraham Accords in the Middle East.

According to Shahbandar, the summit may also see the signing of strategic partnership agreements between the U.S. and Azerbaijan, potentially covering energy, defence cooperation, and infrastructure. These would mark a reset in relations between Baku and Washington after years of diplomatic stagnation.

Officials in Baku have suggested that the Trump administration has taken a more balanced view of regional dynamics compared to its predecessor, showing greater understanding of Azerbaijan’s positions.

Analysts say Russia’s absence from the process is notable and signals a shift in influence in the region. “If the Zangezur Corridor agreement is implemented without Russian border forces, it would indicate a declining role for Moscow in the South Caucasus,” Huseynov said.

The trilateral summit, which concludes on Friday, could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the region, observers say, with the U.S. asserting a stronger presence in a region traditionally dominated by Russian influence.

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