Washington, August 8, AZERTAC

Donald Trump, President of the United States of America, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, delivered press statements at the White House on August 8.

First, the US President made a statement.

Statement by President Donald Trump

- Thank you very much. It's a great honor.

It's a long time, 35 years they fought, and now they're friends, and they're going to be friends for a long time. It is a big, beautiful honor to welcome everyone to the White House for this very historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It's really a great thrill for me. I love seeing good people get together, and that's what you have here, two great leaders. I want to congratulate these two visionary people, Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, for coming to Washington to sign this momentous Joint Declaration, tremendously important document, and it's been a long time in coming. They were explaining before that so many times they thought they could get there. Never happened, just never happened. I also want to thank Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff and their teams at the State Department, and I see that we have Chris Wright outside and Senator Steve Daines sitting right here. Thank you, Chris. Thank you very much. And Steve, thank you very much. And we have some other wonderful dignitaries, including the dignitaries from your country, but they provided tremendous diplomatic assistance.

For more than 35 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a bitter conflict that resulted in tremendous suffering for both nations. They suffered gravely for so many years, many tried to find a resolution, including the European Union. The Russians worked very hard on it – never happened. Sleepy Joe Biden tried, but you know what happened there? And many other countries tried, and they were unsuccessful, but with this accord, we've finally succeeded in making peace, and we just left the Oval Office where we signed voluminous documents and very important elements to the agreement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel and diplomatic relations and respect each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity. So importantly, and I just spent a lot of time with these two men. I think they're going to have a great relationship. This declaration establishes what they are calling a great honor for me, I didn't ask for this the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which is a special transit area that will allow Azerbaijan to get full access to its territory of Nakhchivan, well, fully respecting Armenia's sovereignty, so they're going to be able to really live and work together. And it's amazing. So that's a very important territory, I guess, very special territory to you and to you, and now they work together. Armenia is also creating an exclusive partnership with the United States to develop this corridor, which could extend for up to 99 years. And then they promise, in 99 years, they'll extend it, right? You promise, but we anticipate significant infrastructure development and American companies are very anxious to go into these two countries, and they're going to spend a lot of money, which will economically benefit all three of our nations. This is incredibly positive news for the future of the entire region, and it's a very important region, as you know. Additionally, the US is signing a bilateral agreement with both countries to expand cooperation and energy trade and technology, including AI, and in terms of energy. Chris is here representing our country. And there's nobody better than Chris Wright. And Chris, I understand it's very fertile. It's a very fertile area.

We are drilling like we haven't drilled in many years, I guess I could say ever before, and we just started. We're also lifting restrictions on defense cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States of America. The president, that's a big deal, unless, is that important? Yeah, I think so. It was pretty good. They're very happy about that. So am I. As President, my highest aspiration is to bring peace and stability to the world.

So hopefully we can have many more successes. I hope what I could have too many more in this field, because hopefully where we're not going to be seeing too many more wars.

I ask you to say a few words.

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Then, the President of Azerbaijan made a statement.

Statement by President Ilham Aliyev

- Thank you very much, Mr. President. First of all thank you for the invitation. It’s a big honor to be invited by the President of the United States to this historic event.

Actually, we are writing a new history in bilateral, interstate relationship between the United States and Azerbaijan. We are starting a path towards a strategic partnership. The Charter on Strategic Partnership will be elaborated over several months, and this is a historic achievement for Azerbaijan. Because being in the format of strategic partnership with the greatest country in the world is a great opportunity and also very big responsibility.

And this strategic partnership format embraces so many important areas including mutual investment, trade, energy, connectivity, transit, AI, defense sales, counterterrorism – all these areas in which we have had and hopefully will have very active cooperation in the future. It opens a lot of opportunities for Azerbaijan to continue its path of development, diversify its economy, keep unemployment low, as it is today, and to look to the future with great optimism.

Also, I am very grateful to the President for lifting the restrictions that were imposed on Azerbaijan back in 1992, just one year after Azerbaijan restored its independence. These restrictions were imposed on us only a year after independence, and after 33 years, they have been lifted today. It’s a day which will be remembered by the people of Azerbaijan with a feeling of pride and gratitude towards President Trump for his attitude towards Azerbaijan, for his vision not only for our region. We exchanged views today, and I said that within several months, he managed to put an end to conflicts in Asia, in Africa and now in the South Caucasus.

What we could not achieve for more than 30 years – we had to sacrifice lives, fight two very bad wars with a lot of casualties. Without President Trump, his team and our great friend Mr. Witkoff and his team, probably today, Armenia Azerbaijan would have been again in this endless process of negotiations.

So really, it's a historic day. We are today establishing peace in the Caucasus, which will open great opportunities not only for our region. As President Trump correctly mentioned, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity will create new connectivity lines, lift the walls and l create connectivity opportunities for so many countries with investments, with prosperity, with stability.

You know, Azerbaijan and Armenia became independent at the same time as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. But at that time, we were already at war, and we lost a lot of years preoccupied with wars and occupation and bloodshed. Today is a historic day, and also because we are bringing peace. President Trump is bringing peace to Caucasus, and we are grateful for that. And I'm sure that Armenia Azerbaijan, will find courage and responsibility to reconcile, and the people will also reconcile. We will turn the page of standoff, confrontation and bloodshed and provide bright and safe future for our children.

So I'm very happy, because today we're writing the great new history. And once again, Mr. President, thank you for all what you are doing for us, for our region and for the whole world.

President Donald Trump: How long have you been in the leadership position?

President Ilham Aliyev: 22 years.

President Donald Trump: 22 years. That is pretty good. That means he is smart and tough. And it’s in an amazing part of the world. congratulations what a great honor to be involved.

I ask you to say a few words.

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Then, the Armenian Prime Minister made a statement.

Statement by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

- Thank you, Mr. President.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Today, we have reached a significant milestone in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. We're laying a foundation to write a better story than the one we had in the past. This breakthrough would be simply not have been possible without President Trump's personal engagement and his resolute commitment to peace in our region. The initialing of peace agreement will pave the way to end the decades of conflict between our countries and open a new era based on the full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other. Today's declarations, which President Trump personally will sign, as well as witness gives confidence and assurance that we're opening a chapter of peace, prosperity, security and economic cooperation in the South Caucasus.

In this context, allow me to highlight the agreement on opening transport communications in the region based on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction. I'm particularly thrilled that, together with the US, Armenia, will work to bring to life the TRIPP Trump Route for Peace and Prosperity – connectivity project that will unlock the entire region. TRIPP will unlock strategic economic opportunities that will create long term benefits. It will promote infrastructure investment, enhanced regional connectivity and strengthen US leadership as a champion of conflict resolution.

I want to thank President Trump and his team for brokering this game-changing outcome between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This is a great deal we've achieved today. This is a success for our countries and for our region and the success for the world, because a more peaceful region means a safer world. This is peace through strength in a nutshell.

Mr. President, today's great achievement is yet another testimony to your global leadership and your legacy as a statesman and a peacemaker, on the world stage. Bringing peace required vision, political courage and determination. But what is most important is that it requires faith in the cause. As it is said in the Holy Bible - Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. May God enlighten this way. Thank you, and my congratulations to all of us. President Aliyev, to you, to all of us, colleagues from Azerbaijan, Armenia, United States, and all the people of our region, all the people of our countries, and my congratulations to the world, because, as I said, it will definitely make world a better place. Thank you.

President Donald Trump: Well, thank you.

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Then, the President of the United States, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia signed a Joint Declaration on the outcomes of the Trump International Peace and Prosperity Route Summit.

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President Donald Trump: This is really a big day. I congratulate you, two incredible leaders. You are going to go down in history and I have read the whole thing about how long it took and you thought you are there. And people let you down, and sometimes you probably let people down. I don’t know how it works. But that’s the way it usually does. But this is something that is very special. So, I don’t want to get it in the way at all. But I will take a few questions maybe at least slightly related. But we have some other things to announce later on in the day.

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Then, the leaders answered the questions.

Question: Will the Armenians from Nagorno, Karabakh, be allowed to return? And also, do you have any thoughts on the talk about President Trump winning the Nobel Peace Prize?

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: I think President Trump deserved to have a Nobel Peace Prize, and we will defend that, and will promote for that. And that's obvious so and today's event, I think, is a very bright expression of that. And hopefully you will invite us.

President Donald Trump: You will be the first row.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: Yes.

President Donald Trump: Thank you.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan We are in favor.

President Donald Trump: Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Can I have a suggestion?

President Donald Trump: Yes, please

President Ilham Aliyev: So, maybe we can agree with Prime Minister Pashinyan to send a joint appeal to the Nobel Committee to award President Trump the Nobel Peace Prize, because, for the leaders of countries that were at war for more than three decades, having this historic signature here really means a lot. This is a tangible result of President Trump’s leadership, and no one could have achieved it.

There have been many presidents here since the beginning of the 1990s, and the so-called Minsk process, which, by the way, we put an end to today with my Armenian colleague, started in 1992. Negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE continued for more than three decades without any result. So, who, if not President Trump, deserves the Nobel Peace Prize?

I don’t want to go into the history of some very strange decisions by the Nobel Peace Committee to award the prize to someone who did not do anything at all. But President Trump, in six months, did a miracle. So I think that my Armenian colleague will support this idea. Judging by the reaction of the audience, I think as soon as we come back, we will issue a joint letter. Hopefully, when the President is awarded, we hope that he will invite us to the ceremony.

President Donald Trump: You will certainly will be.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: Do we have a draft to sign now?

President Donald Trump: We’ll see what happens.

President Ilham Aliyev: We’d like to sign.

President Donald Trump: There are always little problems here and there, right? The big ones have been solved. The giant ones have been solved.

President Ilham Aliyev: First of all, I would like to say that today we initialed the peace deal, which has been under negotiation for quite a while. The fact that it was initialed here, in the number one capital of the world, in the number one office of the world, and in front of the great President of the United States, means that there should be no doubt or suspicion that either side would step back. If Prime Minister Pashinyan or I had in mind to step back, we would not have come here. So you can be absolutely sure, as can the Azerbaijani community, that what has happened today will result in peace – long-lasting, eternal peace – in the Caucasus.

President Donald Trump: That's a very nice statement.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan: I'm sorry, fully agree and nothing to add.

President Donald Trump: That's very nice two statements, and that's a beautiful, beautifully stated statement. Let's go, a couple of more questions.

Question: Mr. President many in the South Caucasus have pinned the blame on your predecessor, Joe Biden, and the Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, for obstacles in America's bilateral relations with Azerbaijan and peace in that part of the world. How important is it to you to elevate your country's partnership and your administration's partnership with Azerbaijan, with Armenia, and how important is this for your legacy?

President Donald Trump: Well, to me, cooperation with Azerbaijan and Armenia is very important, but I just I know the history of what was going on, because I do a lot of reading, and they've been that vicious. You know, they've had a very contentious relationship for a long time. It's, I mean, it's war. Most of the time was war, and so to get it done, they're great people. I know a lot of people from Armenia. I know a lot of people from both countries, and they're incredible people. And it shouldn't happen. What has happened? I wish we could have been here sooner. You know, if the election were different, to be nice today, I'm not going to be controversial and say the election was rigged.

I would have had this thing solved four years sooner. But the truth is, that's right, if the election weren't rigged, I would have been here four years sooner. We would have signed the same agreement four years sooner. But it didn't happen. And the Biden administration did really, very little, actually, nothing to get it done. But they did nothing to get really anything done. These two guys are very smart. I got to know them, and they're very smart. They're not going to – I don't think they're going to – have to bother with me. They may call me just to bug me a little bit. Let me put them to a test, and they'll call because they like to call me, but they're not going to have any problem. But we have a very comprehensive agreement. It's a peace agreement, and this is not a ceasefire. This is a peace agreement, and they're going to end up doing a lot of business with each other. They're going to do a lot of business with the United States, and I'm going to always remember, at least during the time that I'm here. I'm going to remember how smart they were, how good they were, and when it comes to trade and other things, we're going to always go 100% out. We'll go out of our way to make sure it comes out good for them. They did an amazingly good thing and a very brave thing. It's a very complicated part of the world they come from - very tough part of the world. I was talking to Chris, and you were saying, in terms of wealth, it's enormous wealth, but wealth doesn't often solve problems. They're amazing, two amazing leaders, and it's an honor to be associated with them.

I love saving lives. That's what it's about. And you know, when you save lives, you really end up having a peaceful world. Usually that ends up pretty well. I want to thank everybody, but in particular these two great leaders for having the courage to do what they did today. And they're going to go down in the history books, and it's a great honor to be involved. Thank you very much.