South Caucasus

Armenia and Azerbaijan have ended decades of conflict between them, and opened the door for a new era for them, and for the entire South Caucasus. In a historic meeting in Washington DC, facilitated by US President, Donald Trump, the two sides initialed the Peace Agreement between them that has been under discussion for a long time. The agreement still has to be signed and ratified. The two side also issued a joint declaration which was signed by the two leaders, and countersigned by the US president, as witness. The document emphasised the importance of sustainable peace between the two countries. commonspace.eu political editor said in a comment that the Washington meeting took a long time in coming, and many had started wondering if the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan had the political will and stamina to bring peace to the region, but in the end, with a bit of nudging by president Trump they did it. Congratulations to all concerned. In many ways, the work starts now, and Armenian and Azerbaijani societies must be involved and must make their contribution so that the Washington agreements can be successfully implemented .

​ US president Donald Trump has said that Armenia and  Azerbaijan will today sign a peace agreement. "President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan will join me at the White House for the official signing ceremony of the peace agreement," Trump wrote on the Truth Social social network. The US president said he was looking forward to hosting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House. "These two nations have been at war for a long time, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people. Many leaders have tried to end the war, but to no avail," he said. ​

As diplomatic efforts to resolve the long-running conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan once again make headlines, the real challenge lies not in high-level meetings or momentary gestures, but in the unfortunate disconnect between the elites and the populations they represent. For almost thirty years, press release after press release declared that talks inched towards peace. Hopes were premature. The sides will next month mark the anniversary of the last war fought five years ago.

US President Donald Trump's administration is actively discussing with Azerbaijan the possibility of bringing that nation and some Central Asian allies into the Abraham Accords, hoping to deepen their existing ties with Israel, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter who spoke to Reuters. As part of the Abraham Accords, inked in 2020 and 2021 during Trump's first term in office, four Muslim-majority countries agreed to normalise diplomatic relations with Israel after U.S. mediation.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding in Washington on Friday 8 August, committing to the pursuit of peace, according to regional sources who spoke to Middle East Eye (MEE). The move commits the two countries to a future peace deal amid increasing US influence in the South Caucasus. The sources said that US President Donald Trump will host Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the White House for the signing ceremony.

In July 2025, Armenia officially applied to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), marking a significant step, underscoring its commitment to a diversified foreign policy amidst shifting regional dynamics. In this analysis, Johnny Melikian, Senior Research Fellow at Orbelli Centre in Yerevan, discusses the reasons behind Armenia's move. This application is more than a simple institutional maneuver, he argues; “it encapsulates Yerevan’s strategic search for geopolitical stability, economic partnerships, and regional relevance in an increasingly complex Eurasian theater.” As Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed during a press conference on July 16, the move reflects Armenia’s pursuit of a balanced and balancing foreign policy amidst shifting global and regional dynamics.