On 8 August 8 2025, President Trump hosted at the White House the former foes and current frenemies, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. The trilateral meeting resulted in the announcement of a new “contract of the century,” titled the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). President Trump aims to accomplish a Herculean task: bringing peace to a region long marred by violent conflicts and human loss. The path proposed by Trump could have serious repercussions for the already complex and volatile situation in the war-torn region, and beyond. What follows is an article in two parts, one written by each author.

Arakelyan Viewpoint

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought multiple wars over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been self-governed since 1994. The situation took a dramatic turn in 2020, when Azerbaijan, supported by Russia and Turkey, used military force to partially retake the enclave. Moscow brokered a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in November 2020 and deployed peacekeeping forces to the region. Despite their presence, Azerbaijan has continued engaging in salami-slicing tactics, gradually occupying more territory that remained under Armenian control.

Article 6 of the treaty specifically required Azerbaijan to guarantee “safe movement of citizens, vehicles, and cargo in both directions along the Lachin corridor.” The Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia, was placed under the control of the Russian army.  In December 2022, the Azerbaijani government closed the sole road connecting the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh to the outside world while Russian peacekeepers were stationed in the area. The humanitarian crisis was marked by the use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, which is prohibited by international law.

After a nine-month blockade, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023. To stop the slaughter of ethnic Armenian civilians by a 60,000-strong Azerbaijani army, the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh signed a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement with Baku, agreeing to disarm and disband the Defense Army. They also announced the dissolution of the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, effective January 1st, 2024. The West was accused of crying genocide all too quietly........

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