Sources point to Armenia and Azerbaijan about to announce intentions to sign a peace deal in Washington later this week with the US President Donald Trump set to receive him, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev, Friday at the White House.
Analysts see the rapprochement, and in particular opaque arrangements around the Zangezur Corridor, as simply the latest development in US-Israel geopolitical plans to lessen regional Russian influence in the South Caucasus.
A key element of the rapprochement is a proposed Zangezur Corridor, which is a roughly 32 km stretch through Armenia’s Syunik province linking mainland Azerbaijan to its exclave at Makhchivan. Under US proposals, control over the route (called the “Trump Bridge”) would be managed by an American owned private logistics company under long term lease, effectively ending Russia’s traditional role as a security provider.
While Armenia has voiced serious concerns that the extraterritorial control would compromise their sovereignty, Azerbaijan is insisting on unimpeded transit rights considered a red line. The US intermediary scheme is presented as a compromise, where Armenia has nominal sovereignty of the Corridor and Baku guaranteed access.
