Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been established — it is a reality, and we can see and feel it on the ground. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated this during a discussion, titled “Leadership at the Crossroads,” within the framework of the 8th Paris Peace Forum.

“It was established as a result of the summit held in Washington on August 8, with the support and participation of US President Donald Trump. I would like once again to express our gratitude to President Trump because, of course, we were working on the peace agenda, but without his personal involvement, I do not think we could have achieved what we have today.

You know that in the US capital, Washington, together with the president of Azerbaijan, we adopted the peace declaration, and President Trump signed it as a witness. Our foreign ministers initialed the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the presence of the US president, the president of Azerbaijan, and myself, and that is truly a historic change — not only in our bilateral relations with Azerbaijan but also in our region in general, because for the first time we have a real opportunity to enter a phase of economic cooperation in the South Caucasus, to have not only a peaceful but also a prosperous region, especially considering that the peace declaration adopted in Washington includes a provision on opening regional connectivity based on the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, jurisdiction, reciprocity, and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders,” said the Armenian premier.

Pashinyan noted that, in addition, Armenia and the US will implement the “Trump Route” program bilaterally, and that will be carried out in the territory of Armenia. “It is a bilateral program between Armenia and the US. But the connection with Azerbaijan is of key importance for it, since we need to have east–west accessibility. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan need this, because in that case we need each other to have access through communication routes.

We are actively working with the US, and there is a very important nuance: regional connectivity, as we envision it, means that both Armenia and Azerbaijan will have the opportunity to use each other’s territory for internal, bilateral, and international connectivity. This means that a new route will open through our territory for international transit. And considering that there is now a supply chain crisis in the world, this could change the situation from the perspective of international trade, as well as change the situation in our region,” the Armenian premier said.