Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have arrived in Washington for historic peace talks with President Donald Trump later on Friday.
According to several reports on the condition of anonymity, Pashinyan and Aliyev will sign several documents to cement the progress towards a peace deal, as well as agreeing on a plan for a US company to develop a road between Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhchivan, tentatively called the ‘Trump Route’.
Expectations are high that some tangible progress will be made towards peace during the trip.
On Friday morning, Pashinyan posted a Bible verse on Facebook: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’.
Ahead of his scheduled meetings, Pashinyan also visited Washington’s Museum of the Bible, and gifted the museum a ‘copy of the medieval illustrated manuscript of Gregory of Narek’.
Aliyev and the Azerbaijani entourage were also holding other meetings before Friday’s talks with Trump.
One such meeting highlighted by Aliyev and Azerbaijani pro-government media were talks between the Azerbaijani president and Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading the US negotiations with Russia on ending its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Azerbaijani state-run energy company SOCAR and the US energy giant ExxonMobil, with Aliyev and Witkoff witnessing.
Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf also met with Stephanie Bednarek, the vice president of Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
Within the framework of the working visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz), to the United States, together with President of SOCAR Rovshan Najaf (@RovshanNajaf), we had a productive meeting with Stephanie Bednarek (@SRBednarek), Vice… pic.twitter.com/nnHRYWMsov
— Mikayil Jabbarov (@MikayilJabbarov) August 8, 2025
High hopes and seeds of doubt
Ahead of the meeting, Trump shared a message on his Truth Social account, saying that he looks forward to the ‘Historic Peace Summit’.
‘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”. My Administration has been engaged with both sides for quite some time’, Trump wrote.
‘The United States will also sign Bilateral Agreements with both Countries to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region. I am very proud of these courageous Leaders for doing the right thing for the Great People of Armenia and Azerbaijan. It will be a Historic Day for Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United States, and, THE WORLD. See you then! DJT’.
Despite the optimism, there were some signs of potential hesitation ahead of the meeting.
On Friday morning, Pashinyan’s spokesperson Nazeli Baghdasaryan rejected claims that Armenia had agreed, or would agree, on a ‘corridor’ solution.
Baghdasaryan said that ‘all such claims and publications do not correspond to reality’, adding that Pashinyan had already clearly stated Armenia’s position on the matter in July.
At the time, Pashinyan said that Armenia was ready to unblock regional transit links, as long as the process did not compromise the country’s sovereignty.
‘There can be no talk of any other logic’, Baghdasaryan concluded.
In addition, Armenian advocacy groups in the West, particularly the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), continued to argue against the signing of any deals, saying they do not constitute real peace.
Alex Galitsky, the ANCA’s policy director, argued that ‘Pashinyan is selling out Armenia’s sovereignty. This isn't “peace” — but an abandonment of our independence, reducing Armenia to a pawn of neocolonial great power interests’.
The previous day, several Armenian MPs pushed back against attacks from the ANCA and other lobby groups, claiming they are hindering the peace process.
Nate Ostiller
