Triumph of justice and guarantee of peace in South Caucasus From the White House to Zangezur

On 8 August 2025, a meeting between the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, took place at the White House in the presence of US President Donald Trump. Following the meeting, a Joint Declaration was signed.

The document notes that the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and the United States witnessed the initialling of the text of the “Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia” by the foreign ministers of the two countries. It underscores the need to continue work towards the signing and final ratification of the Agreement, as well as the importance of ensuring and strengthening peace between the two states.

This event is not merely another diplomatic success for Azerbaijan. It is a historic victory that has consolidated both the results of the Second Karabakh War and all the strategic achievements of recent years. More importantly, it represents the triumph of justice over the long-running disinformation campaign waged against Azerbaijan by the Armenian lobby and its influential patrons in the West.

It is no coincidence that, in his interview with representatives of Azerbaijani media, while speaking about the historic significance of the signed documents, the perception of Azerbaijan in American public opinion, and the importance of the Zangezur Corridor, President Ilham Aliyev did what many statesmen prefer to avoid — he openly named those who had instigated and conducted a long-standing information war against Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani leader stated that outlets such as The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, and others regularly published slanderous materials that misled the American public, with the main source of such attacks being the Armenian lobby — a force that today acts even against the interests of Armenia itself.

“These groups bear responsibility for the occupation. Their ideas, advice, money, and influence on Armenian governments have played a destructive role for Armenia itself,” Ilham Aliyev said.

He reminded that Azerbaijan is a country of ethnic and religious diversity, where all religious sites are protected by the state and there have never been problems on national or religious grounds: “Azerbaijan today is one of the centres of multiculturalism.” This is a clear and unequivocal response to those who, for decades, have waged a smear campaign against us, portraying the country in a distorted light, including through the fabricated narrative of “protecting Christians in Karabakh.”

Speaking about the land connection between the mainland of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, Ilham Aliyev stated:

“The Joint Declaration signed at the White House with the Prime Minister of Armenia in the presence of Donald Trump explicitly secures unimpeded access from the main part of Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan, while preserving Armenia’s sovereignty. This obligation by Armenia was established back on November 10, 2020, but for five years there was no progress.”

The President noted that Azerbaijan has nearly completed the railway line to the Armenian border and has begun restoring infrastructure in Nakhchivan, with plans to connect the two parts of the country not only by railway, but also through power transmission lines, fibre-optic cables, and energy facilities.

The head of state stressed that this project dismantles all anti-Azerbaijani narratives built by politicians such as Robert Menendez, Adam Schiff, Frank Pallone, Nancy Pelosi, Brad Sherman, Ed Markey, Christopher Smith, and others, who for years have worked against Azerbaijan — likely funded by the Armenian lobby.

The President of Azerbaijan noted that disinformation was spread not only by the media, but also by representatives of the previous US administration, whose agenda was shaped under the influence of NGOs such as Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, as well as USAID and Radio Liberty.

The Azerbaijani side had raised this issue many times before, but now all these well-founded accusations were voiced from Washington to the entire world. This is a victory for President Ilham Aliyev not only over the global Armenian community and its adherents among American politicians and journalists. It is yet another triumph of the truth about Azerbaijan — about the country’s goals and the means by which they are achieved.

Most importantly, the Republic of Azerbaijan wins not because circumstances happen to be favourable, but in spite of them. The Azerbaijani state prevails when others bet on its defeat, strengthens its position where attempts are made to weaken it, and speaks the truth where others prefer to remain silent.