Azerbaijani presidential aide hails Trump’s role in South Caucasus peace

Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, Hikmet Hajiyev, has praised the role of US President Donald Trump and his administration in ending the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Speaking at the 6th Caspian Business Forum "Connectivity, Finance, and Energy along the Middle Corridor" held in New York and organised by the Caspian Policy Centre, Hajiyev reflected on the transformation of Azerbaijan’s agenda in Washington. "Whenever I came to Washington in the past, I always spoke about the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. But now, I come to this capital with a completely new agenda,” he said, according to local media.

Emphasising the new reality in the South Caucasus, Hajiyev declared: "But this conflict is over. I also take this opportunity to express that we are immensely grateful to President Trump and this administration for taking a leadership role and bringing this conflict to a final resolution. Now, there is fundamental peace in the region.”

His remarks came in the aftermath of major diplomatic breakthroughs at the Washington summit hosted by President Trump. During that summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint declaration establishing a seven-point framework. The agreement underscores respect for sovereignty, recognition of territorial integrity, and a commitment to renounce the use of force.

At the same event, the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia initialled a draft “Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations” in the presence of Trump, Aliyev, and Pashinyan, marking a further step toward a comprehensive peace treaty.

A key feature of the framework is the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP)—a project more widely referred to as the Zangezur Corridor. The planned transit route, running through southern Armenia, is intended to link Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave and is seen as strategically vital for regional connectivity as well as economic development across the South Caucasus.

By Tamilla Hasanova