U.S. President Donald Trump hosted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the White House, where the three leaders signed a joint declaration aimed at closing the books on a conflict that has smouldered since the late 1980s. The document commits Armenia and Azerbaijan to a permanent cease-fire, mutual recognition of territorial integrity and the restoration of diplomatic and economic ties. A centrepiece of the accord is the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) — a roughly 20-mile corridor across southern Armenia linking Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave and onward to Turkey. The agreement grants U.S. companies exclusive development rights over rail, energy pipelines and fibre-optic infrastructure along the route, and is accompanied by separate U.S.-Armenia and U.S.-Azerbaijan pacts covering energy, trade, technology and defence cooperation. Washington also lifted restrictions on military dealings with Baku. Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the United Kingdom said only one procedural hurdle remains before a final treaty can be concluded: Armenia must amend its constitution to remove territorial claims to Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan has called for a referendum on the change, which could come before parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026. The United Nations, Turkey, Iran and the United Arab Emirates welcomed the breakthrough, which analysts say reduces Russia’s clout in the South Caucasus while opening new trade and transit routes for the wider region. The corridor could bolster European energy security by creating an alternative path for Caspian oil and gas that bypasses Russian and Iranian territory. Both Caucasus leaders publicly proposed nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, underscoring the political capital he has invested in global mediation efforts. Diplomats and regional experts, however, cautioned that practical questions over customs controls, security and the legal status of the corridor must be resolved before the agreement can deliver the lasting stability its signatories promise.