US intervention opens new page in Armenia–Azerbaijan peace talks but challenges remain

14 Aug 2025 12:20 PM

EXPERT COMMENT

Regional powers and domestic politics threaten the persuasive optics of the White House summit.

The Armenia–Azerbaijan peace process has turned a new page following a trilateral summit between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US President Donald Trump on 8 August.

Several documents – although not an actual peace treaty – were signed during the meeting in the Oval Office, hailed as a landmark in the convoluted negotiations between the two states. Their last war ended in an incomplete Azerbaijani victory in 2020, followed by a series of escalations culminating in Azerbaijan’s military takeover of Mountainous Karabakh in 2023 and the mass displacement of its entire Armenian population.

Geo-strategic optics dominate discussions of the White House summit and its implications. Yet ultimately the de-securitization of Armenia–Azerbaijan relations will depend more on domestic political shifts away from ingrained conflict narratives.

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