After decades of conflict, the South Caucasus has reached a point that could become either the start of lasting peace or a new round of tension. On August 8, 2025, in Washington and with mediation by U.S. President Donald Trump, representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed a peace agreement, while the two countries’ leaders also endorsed a project to reopen regional transport links under the name Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The text was first published by JAMnews.
The initialed document provides for mutual recognition of the borders of the former Soviet republics, a renunciation of territorial claims, non-use of force, and continued border delimitation and demarcation. But the agreement has not been finally signed, which means there are still no legal guarantees of implementation. The article argues that this is what makes the current situation fragile and dependent on further decisions in Baku and Yerevan.
Azerbaijan, in particular, has set a precondition for a final signature: changes to Armenia’s Constitution. Officials in Baku argue that it still contains language allowing territorial claims. Yerevan rejects that interpretation and insists that constitutional amendments are solely an internal matter. The Armenian side also argues that the peace text itself explicitly rules out mutual claims and bars either party from citing domestic law to justify non-compliance.
The three-way declaration on reopening communications caused far greater political resonance. It concerns a route through Syunik that would connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan. For Baku, the project is strategically important, but Yerevan has consistently rejected any arrangement implying a loss of full sovereign control over its territory. That is why Armenia rejects the term “Zangezur corridor”, while Azerbaijan continues to use it even after the Washington declaration.
“Infrastructure called the ‘Zangezur corridor’ cannot exist on the territory of Armenia,” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, arguing that any communications inside the country can operate only under Armenian control.
Under the declaration, Armenia will work with the United States and mutually agreed third parties on the framework for the TRIPP project on Armenian territory. The route is expected to include both road and rail links, while Armenian customs, border, and law-enforcement agencies would retain authority on their own territory. At the same time, the U.S. side may take part in the business management of the infrastructure, which the project’s authors say should improve transparency and trust.
Yet the interpretation of those provisions remains disputed. Armenia stresses that this is a road fully subject to the republic’s sovereignty. Baku, meanwhile, continues to link the project to the concept of the “Zangezur corridor.” Speaking at a UN General Assembly session, Ilham Aliyev described TRIPP as one outcome of the Washington summit and connected it to unobstructed passage through that corridor. In Yerevan, such rhetoric is seen as contradicting the spirit of the agreements reached.
The article also notes that the negotiating process has shifted markedly toward a Western platform, while Russia’s influence in the South Caucasus has diminished. After the documents were signed, Moscow remained silent for some time and later limited itself to restrained comments through the Foreign Ministry. Experts cited in the piece say Russia remains an important regional actor, but no longer holds its former monopoly over key decisions.