U.S. And EU Welcome Peace Progress Between Armenia And Azerbaijan

Aug 20, 2026 · 6 min read

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On August 10, the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan issued a joint statement celebrating the one-year anniversary of the August 8, 2025 White House Peace Summit. The joint statement announced that there was “great resolve to build upon the foundation that ended decades of conflict and put the South Caucasus on the path towards a more prosperous future.” The document added that the discussions held among these three countries last year have “provided a concrete roadmap for Armenia and Azerbaijan, with the support of the United States, to strengthen peace, achieve prosperity, and deepen partnership” between these countries. The joint statement concluded that the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan “reaffirm their unwavering support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of both Armenia and Azerbaijan,” and that they “remain committed to the full implementation of the August 8 Joint Declaration.”

According to the joint statement, Armenia and Azerbaijan have “maintained stability along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.” Additionally, Azerbaijan has “unilaterally lifted all transit restrictions with respect to Armenia.” The joint statement highlighted that nearly 60,000 tons of goods had been transported to and from Armenia through Azerbaijan, and that Azerbaijan has supplied 20,000 tons of oil products to Armenia.

Finally, the joint statement announced that the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity “is moving from vision to reality.” TRIPP, established last year at the White House Peace Summit by U.S. President Donald Trump, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, will enable the U.S. to build rail, oil, gas, and fiber-optic lines in the South Caucasus. The joint statement noted that engineering surveys are already underway in Armenia, while Azerbaijan has nearly completed a railroad connecting to TRIPP in Armenia.

Like the United States, the European Union has also welcomed progress between these two countries in the South Caucasus. On August 14, the Report News Agency, an Azerbaijani news agency, reported that Anitta Hipper, the European Union’s Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said that Armenia and Azerbaijan have “made important progress, which has brought benefits to both countries.” She added that the “EU stands ready to provide further support and expertise” as Armenia and Azerbaijan continue working toward lasting peace.

Furthermore, the EU highlighted the lifting of trade and transit restrictions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as the release of detainees. The EU concluded that it “supports further practical steps towards normalisation” between Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding that “continued progress on the delimitation and demarcation of the border, the resolution of humanitarian issues, and efforts towards reconciliation” all remain important issues to achieve peace.

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The statements made by the U.S. and EU, and the examples provided by each, explaining how Armenia and Azerbaijan have made progress toward peace, suggest that the normalization of relations in the South Caucasus may be underway. The conflict between these two countries over the mountainous region of Karabakh has spanned nearly four decades. Between the 1980s and 2023, thousands of Armenians and Azerbaijanis have been killed while fighting over the territory. Many more have become displaced.

When the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated in 2020, Russia and Turkey attempted to negotiate an end to the fighting. At the time, Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a ceasefire after Azerbaijan launched a military operation over Karabakh. Russia also deployed peacekeeping forces to the region.

Three years later, in the autumn of 2023, Azerbaijan launched a new offensive, during which it captured Karabakh. Over 100,000 Armenians were forced to flee, and Russian peacekeepers were unable to maintain the peace. Since then, Pashinyan and Aliyev have held numerous discussions, mediated by the U.S. and the EU, about how to end tensions between their countries.

During the ongoing peace discussions, Armenia’s ties with Turkey have also improved. According to a Euronews report on May 13, Turkey has removed a trade restriction on Armenia. Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said that the decision was made “in the light of the historic opportunity seized to strengthen lasting peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus.”

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has strengthened energy relations with Turkey. The Atlantic Council noted on July 24 that Azerbaijan and Turkey have signed a 15-year long-term natural gas supply agreement. The report added that Turkey is looking to diversify its energy market, while the energy deal “ensures a stable supply of Azerbaijani gas.”

But as Armenia and Azerbaijan seek to improve their relationship while simultaneously strengthening their engagements with the United States, the EU, and Turkey, Russia and Iran have criticized these developments. In July 2025, roughly two weeks before the White House Peace Summit, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the U.S. of attempting to usurp the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova adding that the “West is attempting to shift the reconciliation process between Baku and Yerevan to its side in order to once again declare political success.” Then, after the White House Peace Summit, Ali Akbar Velayati, who at the time was senior adviser to then-Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, criticized the TRIPP deal, arguing that Trump thinks the South Caucasus is a “piece of real estate.”

Nevertheless, Pashinyan and Aliyev have continued to engage with the U.S. and TRIPP. The U.S. has already granted $201 million to the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund and has brought in $400 million in U.S. foreign assistance to support the development of the TRIPP-plus economic corridor. These developments suggest that Armenia and Azerbaijan are already benefiting from TRIPP only a year after its inception.

Achieving normalized relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will take time, and there is still much progress to be made. Nonetheless, the U.S. and EU have noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan are moving in the right direction, suggesting that lasting peace in the South Caucasus may be achieved. Senior officials from the U.S. and EU will continue to monitor the situation, documenting any future progress that may unfold.