Washington: Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister has hailed a historic trilateral summit involving Azerbaijan and the US at the White House as a significant turning point in the normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while also marking a pivotal milestone for potential normalization with Trkiye.
According to TRTworld.com, Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan emphasized the importance of the meetings, which took place one day after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and US President Donald Trump signed an agreement at the White House to conclude decades of conflict. Kostanyan described the discussions, both bilaterally with the United States and trilaterally with the United States and Azerbaijan, as crucial and historic. He highlighted the achievement of an important milestone in the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process, as well as the strengthening of the Armenia-US strategic partnership.
Kostanyan acknowledged the positive impact of previous statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which encouraged Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize a peace treaty. He noted that these statements had a favorable influence on the ongoing normalization talks. Kostanyan expressed optimism that the recent event could lead to an important milestone and opportunity with Trkiye as well. He suggested that the connectivity project could become regionally and globally significant if communication channels between Armenia and Turkey are reopened.
He further expressed hope that Ankara would reciprocate Armenia's goodwill by opening the Turkish-Armenian border and establishing diplomatic relations. Kostanyan emphasized the potential for achieving another crucial milestone for regional stability and economic prosperity, including the opening of the border between Armenia and Trkiye and the establishment of diplomatic ties.
Following the Soviet Union's collapse, Trkiye was among the first countries to recognize Armenia's independence on September 21, 1991. However, Trkiye closed its border and severed diplomatic relations in 1993, following Armenia's occupation of Karabakh. Relations began to improve after the 2020 Karabakh war, with both nations appointing special envoys to pursue normalization talks.
One of the core components of Friday’s agreement at the White House summit is the development of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), which will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave. Kostanyan stated that the declaration envisions opening regional transportation and communication routes under the sovereignty, jurisdiction, and territorial integrity of the states involved.
He explained that the project would be developed by Armenia and the US on Armenian territory, facilitating regional communications, including a link from southern Armenia through Nakhchivan to other parts of the country. Although the founding principles have been agreed upon, Kostanyan mentioned that technical and working-level discussions on the project's modalities will follow.