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Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Trump says Armenia, Azerbaijan committed to end fighting ‘forever'
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Friday Armenia and Azerbaijan had committed to a lasting peace after decades of conflict, as he hosted the leaders of the South Caucasus rivals at a signing event in the White House. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's longtime President Ilham Aliyev were in Washington for what Trump had touted as a 'historic peace summit.' '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,' Trump said. Trump also said he was lifting restrictions on military cooperation with Azerbaijan. The fine print of the deal was not immediately available, but it joins a growing list of US-brokered initiatives for which the president believes he should win a Nobel Peace Prize. Armenia, Azerbaijan agree treaty terms to end almost 40 years of conflict 'Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to 'TRUMP,'' the president boasted on his Truth Social website. Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan have feuded for decades over their border and the status of ethnic enclaves within each other's territories. The former Soviet republics went to war twice over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, sparking the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. 'Trump Route' The two countries agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal in March, but Azerbaijan has since outlined a host of demands – including amendments to Armenia's constitution to drop territorial claims for Karabakh – before signing the document. Pashinyan has announced plans for a constitutional referendum in 2027, but the issue remains deeply divisive among Armenians. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, in a briefing with reporters on Friday, said the two countries would sign a 'joint declaration' establishing a transit corridor between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan, a longstanding demand of Baku. The United States will have development rights for the corridor, dubbed the 'Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity' (TRIPP), she said. Trump to host Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders for peace talks on Friday, US official says The two nations were due to sign a letter officially requesting the dissolving of the Minsk Group, a now defunct mediation body under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Kelly added. The White House did not elaborate on how Friday's agreement aligns with the broader comprehensive deal. Nobel? Both countries were also expected to sign bilateral economic deals with the United States. 'Armenia walks out of this with an enormous strategic commercial partner, probably the most enormous and strategic in the history of the world: the United States of America,' a White House official said. 'The losers here are China, Russia, and Iran,' he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump has repeatedly praised his own diplomatic efforts to help halt deadly conflicts, notably between Cambodia and Thailand, and arch-foes India and Pakistan. At the White House, Armenia and Azerbaijan's leaders suggested sending a joint appeal to the Nobel committee to award Trump the Peace Prize. 'Because from the leaders of the countries which were at war for more than three decades having this historic signature here, it really means a lot,' Aliyev said. On Thursday, Cambodia's prime minister announced he had nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Months of efforts have however yet to solve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the hunger plaguing Gaza during Israel's offensive. A deal to normalize ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence.
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Trump hosts foes Armenia, Azerbaijan in his latest peace initiative - International
US President Donald Trump will host the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday, with the two South Caucasus rivals expected to sign a deal advancing peace efforts after decades of conflict. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's longtime President Ilham Aliyev will attend a "Historic Peace Summit" at the White House, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. He did not elaborate on the deal's details, but it would join a growing list of US-brokered initiatives for which the president believes he should win a Nobel Peace Prize. "Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to 'TRUMP,'" he boasted. Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan have feuded for decades over their border and the status of ethnic enclaves within each other's territories. The former Soviet republics went to war twice over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, sparking the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians. 'Trump Route' The two countries agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal in March, but Azerbaijan has since outlined a host of demands -- including amendments to Armenia's constitution to drop territorial claims for Karabakh -- before signing the document. Pashinyan has announced plans for a constitutional referendum in 2027, but the issue remains deeply divisive among Armenians. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly, in a briefing with reporters on Friday, said the two countries would sign a "joint declaration" establishing a transit corridor between Azerbaijan and its exclave of Nakhchivan, a longstanding demand of Baku. The United States will have development rights for the corridor, dubbed the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP), she said. The two nations will also sign a letter officially requesting the dissolving of the Minsk Group, a now defunct mediation body under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Kelly added. The White House did not elaborate on how Friday's agreement aligns with the broader comprehensive deal. Nobel? Both countries are also expected to sign bilateral economic deals with the United States. "Armenia walks out of this with an enormous strategic commercial partner, probably the most enormous and strategic in the history of the world: the United States of America," a White House official said. "The losers here are China, Russia, and Iran," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Trump has repeatedly praised his own diplomatic efforts to help halt deadly conflicts, notably between Cambodia and Thailand, and arch-foes India and Pakistan. On Thursday, Cambodia's prime minister announced he had nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. Months of efforts have however yet to solve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and Israel's brutal war and blockade of Gaza. A deal to normalize ties between Armenia and Azerbaijan would be a major breakthrough in a region where Russia, the European Union, the United States and Turkey all jostle for influence. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US should impose more sanctions on Russia, Finland says, as Trump's deadline arrives
FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI - U.S. President Donald Trump should move forward with imposing more sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the war in Ukraine, Finland's foreign minister said on Friday in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. Trump set Friday as the deadline by which Russia had to agree to peace in Ukraine or have its oil customers face secondary tariffs. If imposed, they would sever a major source of funding for Russian President Vladimir Putin's war effort. However, Putin and Trump are now expected to meet as early as next week following talks between the Russian leader and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Wednesday, raising the possibility that the new sanctions may be delayed or cancelled. A White House official said on Wednesday the secondary sanctions were still expected to be implemented against countries doing business with Russia from Friday despite the latest diplomatic flurry. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Elina Valtonen said in the interview, referring to the secondary sanctions that could especially impact China and India, the biggest purchasers of Russian oil. Finland's President Alexander Stubb was among several European leaders to join a phone call with Trump on Wednesday designed to coordinate Western efforts to end the Ukraine war. Valtonen said continued Western arms supplies to Kyiv also had a vital role to play in pressuring Putin to end the war, which began in February 2022 with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "What we do see... is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war," she said. Finland, along with other Nordic countries and the three Baltic states, has been among Ukraine's staunchest supporters. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. Valtonen became foreign minister two months after that historic step was taken. The Russian state's fiscal situation is not as good as it was three years ago and its economic situation is even worse, Valtonen said, referring to the impact of sanctions and a massive diversion of resources in Russia to the war effort. "We need to be piling up on the pressure, and then hope that Russia will react positively one day, which means that they will end their invasion," she said. GAZA Asked about the situation in Gaza, Valtonen expressed "great worry" over a decision by Israel's security cabinet to approve a plan on Friday to take control of Gaza City in an expansion of military operations despite intensifying criticism at home and abroad over the devastating nearly two-year-old war. On Thursday, asked if Israel would take over the entire coastal territory, Netanyahu told Fox News Channel in an interview: "We intend to." "We do think that it is so important now... to keep alive the prospect for the two-state solution, even though it looks very difficult at this moment," she said, referring to the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state alongside Israel. France, Britain and Canada have announced plans in recent weeks to recognise an independent Palestinian state, but Valtonen signalled that Finland has no immediate plans to do so. "There have to be concrete steps, which essentially means that there will be a mutual recognition of a Palestinian state at some point (with Israel), but also the normalisation of relations between Arab countries ... and with Israel," she said. REUTERS
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
US should impose sanctions on Russia, Finland's Valtonen says
FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI (Reuters) -Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Friday she hoped U.S. President Donald Trump will move forward with imposing sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Valtonen said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. "What we do see - and suspect now as well - is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war." Finland, its fellow Nordic countries and the Baltics, have been among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen; additional reporting by Essi Lehto; writing by Gwladys Fouche; editing by Terje Solsvik)
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
US should impose sanctions on Russia, Finland's Valtonen says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen attends a press conference during the Helsinki+50 OSCE conference in Helsinki, Finland, July 31, 2025. The conference marks the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act. Lehtikuva/Mikko Stig/via REUTERS/File Photo HELSINKI - Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said on Friday she hoped U.S. President Donald Trump will move forward with imposing sanctions on Russia as it would help bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine. "I certainly hope that President Trump will move forward with those sanctions," Valtonen said in a Reuters NEXT Newsmaker interview. "What we do see - and suspect now as well - is that the reason that Russia has again shown some willingness to talk, is that the increased arms deliveries (to Ukraine) are definitely piling up the pressure on Russia to find a way out of the war." Finland, its fellow Nordic countries and the Baltics, have been among the staunchest supporters of Ukraine. The 2022 invasion prompted Finland, which shares a 1,340-km (833 mile) border with Russia, to join NATO two years ago, upending decades of non-alignment. REUTERS
