Kurdistan Region President Welcomes 'Historic' US-Brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Saturday welcomed a landmark peace agreement signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, congratulating U.S. President Donald Trump for successfully brokering the “historic deal” that aims to formally end decades of bitter conflict in the Caucasus.

Writing on the social media platform X, President Barzani stated, “I welcome the signing of peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House. I congratulate President of the United States Donald Trump for successfully brokering this historic deal.”

I welcome the signing of peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House.
I congratulate @POTUS Donald Trump for successfully brokering this historic deal.

— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) August 9, 2025

Kurdistan Region President's statement followed a major diplomatic development hosted at the White House on Friday, where Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev came together for a "Historic Peace Summit."

The two leaders signed a "momentous joint declaration" in the State Dining Room, marking a significant U.S.-brokered effort to resolve one of the world's most protracted conflicts. "It's a big, beautiful honor to welcome everyone to the White House for this very historic peace summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan," President Trump stated at the ceremony. "For more than 35 years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a bitter conflict that resulted in tremendous suffering for both nations."

According to President Trump's remarks, the agreement is built on several foundational commitments designed to create a lasting peace. "The country of 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," he announced. A central and novel component of the accord is the establishment of a special transit corridor named in the U.S. President's honor.

"Very importantly, we have also resolved the key issue that foiled previous negotiations," Trump said. "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 while fully respecting Armenia's sovereignty."

The United States is set to play a direct and long-term role in the development of this new corridor. President Trump announced that "Armenia is also creating an exclusive partnership with the United States to develop this corridor, which could extend for up to 99 years." He added, "we anticipate significant infrastructure development by American companies."

In his address, President Trump contrasted the success of the summit with past failures to secure an agreement, remarking, "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. But with this accord, we've finally succeeded in making peace."

The summit also yielded significant bilateral policy shifts between the United States and the two Caucasus nations. President Trump announced that the U.S. is "signing a bilateral agreement with both countries to expand cooperation and energy trade and technology, including A.I." In a major move, he also stated, "We're also lifting restrictions on defense cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States of America."

Speaking at the ceremony, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev expressed his gratitude and highlighted the new relationship with Washington. "We are starting the path towards a strategic partnership," he said, noting a charter would be elaborated within months.

He called the lifting of the 1992 U.S. restrictions on his country a historic event. "After 33 years, these restrictions have been lifted just today," President Aliyev stated. "We are today establishing peace in the Caucasus... President Trump brings peace to Caucasus, and we're grateful for that."

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan echoed these sentiments, crediting the U.S. president for his direct involvement. "This breakthrough would simply not have been possible without President Trump's personal engagement and his resolute commitment to peace in our region," he said. The Prime Minister underscored the importance of the transit corridor, stating he was "particularly thrilled that together with the U.S., Armenia will work to bring to life the Trump route for peace and prosperity connectivity project that will unlock the entire region." He concluded, "This is peace through strength in a nutshell." The ceremony culminated with the formal signing of the joint declaration, with President Trump signing as a witness.