In Washington, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, followed by a trilateral meeting with Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev aimed at promoting peace, prosperity, and economic cooperation in the region, according to Public Television of Armenia (PTA), whose film crew is currently in the United States.
“First, there will be a Pashinyan–Trump meeting, during which documents related to energy, artificial intelligence, and the ‘Crossroads of Peace’ are expected to be signed. As for the most discussed issue — whether the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be discussed under Washington’s mediation — it is noted that a document will be signed following the meeting,” reported Lurer’s Washington correspondent, Maya Khachatryan.
The delegation led by Nikol Pashinyan includes the foreign minister, deputy ministers, the prime minister’s chief of staff, the secretary of the Security Council, and the minister of high-tech industry.
Thus, starting at 10:30 p.m., Washington time, bilateral talks between Pashinyan and Trump will be followed by trilateral talks between Pashinyan, Trump, and Aliyev. They will be broadcast live on the First Information Channel, the First Channel, and on Lurer’s social media platforms.
Lurer’s correspondents, speaking off the record with experts familiar with the matter in Washington, clarified expectations from today’s talks and which documents might be signed.
“According to the circulated points, the corridor issue is off the table. There is no ‘corridor’; rather, there are newly opened roads and the unblocking of the Republic of Armenia. Armenia and Azerbaijan will use each other’s roads on equal terms, within the framework of each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction, based on reciprocity. Armenia will gain rail links to the outside world — towards Iran, China, Central Asia, and Russia,” the PTA report says.
Infrastructure passing through Armenia will remain under the sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia — subject to Armenian laws, state institutions, and law enforcement bodies.
“In the presence of the U.S. president, the peace agreement will be initialed, with the parties committing, in his presence, to maintain peace, renounce revenge, and refrain from seizing each other’s territories — now and in the future — based on the understanding that the territories of the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijani SSR are identical to the territories of independent Armenia and Azerbaijan. Under these conditions, the existence of the OSCE Minsk Group is not only pointless but could cast doubt on the sincerity of the parties; therefore, the parties will jointly request the OSCE to dissolve the Minsk Group. In this way, de facto peace will be established between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the statement continues.
According to experts, Washington will affirm that the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be signed and ratified, with the U.S. president also assuming responsibility for this.
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The United States has confirmed its interest in the swift conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Deputy Spokesperson of the State Department Tommy Pigott said at a briefing.
“The United States once again confirms its interest in the swift conclusion of a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have repeatedly expressed hope for a speedy agreement. They have both emphasized this in their speeches. The Secretary of State raises this issue at every opportunity,” he said.
Answering questions about the possible signing of a peace agreement in Washington and the U.S. position on unblocking communications, the State Department representative recommended waiting for the announcement of the results of the White House meeting.
The Armenian prime minister’s chief of staff, Araik Harutyunyan, in turn, said that in the coming hours and days, there would be an attempt to create another wave of disinformation and speculation in the media space.
“This will mainly be done by the same people, websites, and fakes whose previous predictions never came true. You already know them all, so I am writing this post in vain. No — not in vain: wait only for official information and comments. If possible, they will appear in your field of view soon — on websites, social media, etc. There will be peace, there will be no war!” he wrote on social media.
According to the published agenda, the Trump–Pashinyan meeting will take place at 10:30 p.m. Baku time, the Trump–Aliyev meeting at 11:20 p.m., and the trilateral meeting at midnight.
Against this backdrop, Pashinyan posted a quote from the Gospel on his Facebook page: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in turn, noted that the agreement to be signed in the near future between Azerbaijan and Armenia would become the starting point for a comprehensive peace treaty.
According to Rubio, the U.S. president is committed to establishing lasting peace and intends to cement this image:
“When India and Pakistan started a war, we intervened directly, and the president was able to secure peace. Recently, a similar situation occurred between Cambodia and Thailand. We hope to achieve the same in the case of Azerbaijan and Armenia. This Friday we will be here to sign the agreement and make it the beginning of a peace treaty,” he emphasized.
