YEREVAN, Armenia: Residents and politicians in Armenia and Azerbaijan responded Saturday with cautious hope \u2014 and skepticism in some cases \u2014 after their leaders signed a US-brokered agreement at the White House aimed at ending decades of hostilities.<\/p>\n
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the agreement on Friday in the presence of US President Donald Trump, who stood between the leaders as they shook hands \u2014 a gesture Trump reinforced by clasping their hands together.<\/p>\n
While the agreement does not constitute a formal peace treaty, it represents a significant diplomatic step toward normalization of relations. The two countries remain technically at war, and the deal does not resolve the longstanding dispute over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/p>\n
It does, however, reflect the shifting power dynamics following Azerbaijan\u2019s 2023 military victory, which forced the withdrawal of Armenian forces and ethnic Armenians from the region.<\/p>\n
Among the agreement\u2019s provisions is the creation of a new transit corridor, dubbed the \u201cTrump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,\u201d highlighting a changing geopolitical landscape amid declining Russian influence in the South Caucasus.<\/p>\n
Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the heart of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict since the Soviet Union\u2019s collapse. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the mountainous region was controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Two wars \u2014 in the early 1990s and again in 2020 \u2014 left tens of thousands dead and displaced. In 2023, Azerbaijan regained control of most of the territory in a swift offensive.<\/p>\n
Hopeful for peace and a weaker Moscow<\/p>\n
Ali Karimli, head of the opposition People\u2019s Front of Azerbaijan Party, wrote on Facebook that the signing of the agreement \u201chas undoubtedly brought Azerbaijan and Armenia significantly closer to peace,\u201d and noted that it delivered \u201canother blow \u2026 to Russia\u2019s influence in the South Caucasus,\u201d while deepening ties with the US.<\/p>\n
Arif\u202fHajjili, chairman of Azerbaijani opposition party Musavat, said he believed that \u201cthe most positive aspect of the initialing in Washington was the absence of Russia from the process.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said lasting stability in the region hinges on the continual dwindling of Russian power, which \u201cdepends on the outcome of the Russian\u2011Ukrainian war.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hajjili also warned of lingering challenges, including Armenia\u2019s economic dependence on Russia and some 2 million Azerbaijanis living in Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cRussia will continue to use these factors as levers of pressure,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hope on the streets of Azerbaijan\u2019s capital<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been waiting for a long time for this agreement to be signed,\u201d a resident of Baku, Gunduz Aliyev, told The Associated Press. \u201cWe did not trust our neighbor, Armenia. That\u2019s why a strong state was needed to act as a guarantor. Russia couldn\u2019t do it, but the United States succeeded.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe US is taking full responsibility for security. This will bring peace and stability,\u201d said another, Ali Mammadov. \u201cBorders will open soon, and normal relations with Armenia will be established.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abulfat Jafarov, also in Baku, expressed gratitude to all three leaders involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeace is always a good thing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe welcome every step taken toward progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
More divided views in the Armenian capital<\/p>\n
Some people in Yerevan were unsure of the meaning of the agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel uncertain because much still needs clarification. There are unclear aspects, and although the prime minister of Armenia made some statements from the US, more details are needed,\u201d Edvard Avoyan said.<\/p>\n
But entrepreneur Hrach Ghasumyan could see economic benefits.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf gas and oil pipelines pass through Armenia and railway routes are opened, it would be beneficial for the country,\u201d he said. \u201cUntil now, all major routes have passed through Georgia, leaving Armenia sidelined and economically limited.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others were skeptical that peace could be achieved, and expressed discontent with the terms of the agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat declaration is unlikely to bring real peace to the region, and we are well aware of Azerbaijan\u2019s stance,\u201d Ruzanna Ghazaryan said. \u201cThis initial agreement offers us nothing; the concessions are entirely one-sided.\u201dffers us nothing; the concessions are entirely one-sided.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
YEREVAN, Armenia: Residents and politicians in Armenia and Azerbaijan responded Saturday with cautious hope \u2014 and skepticism in some cases \u2014 after their leaders signed a US-brokered agreement at the White House aimed at ending decades of hostilities. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed the agreement on Friday in the …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":85156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-85155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85155"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85155\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85157,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85155\/revisions\/85157"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/85156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}