Declaration of Peace on August 8: Turkey's vital role in uniting the Turkic nations
August 8, 2025: A Historic Peace Declaration in the South Caucasus
In a significant development for the South Caucasus region, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a peace declaration on August 8, 2025, at the White House, with U.S. President Donald Trump as a witness. This declaration marks a major step towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.
The peace declaration, often referred to as the August 8, 2025 Declaration, has several key components:
- Ending Conflict and Normalizing Relations: The declaration signals a commitment to end decades of conflict that flared into open warfare in the early 1990s. It provides a basis for normalizing relations and addressing territorial and transport issues.
- Regional Connectivity and Infrastructure Growth: The declaration creates a framework for the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP), a transport corridor linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave via Armenia. This route will facilitate regional connectivity and economic growth.
- Multi-Vector Foreign Policies: The declaration marks a strategic shift where Armenia and Azerbaijan pursue more multi-vector foreign policies, reducing Russia’s dominant influence in the region and opening opportunities for cooperation with the EU and the U.S.
- Promoting Economic Development: The declaration enhances prospects for economic development and infrastructure growth, critical for long-term peace and regional integration.
Turkey has played a crucial role in supporting the peace process. The country has provided military and political support to Azerbaijan, acted as a buffer and deterrent against external interference, and supported infrastructural and energy projects that strengthen regional trade and interdependence.
The normalization process with Armenia is seen as a signal of a return to Turkey's "zero problems with neighbors" policy. Armenia has also expressed a desire to open borders with Turkey and establish diplomatic relations.
In a remarkable gesture, Aliyev and Pashinyan announced their intention to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The August 8 Declaration marks a historic and forward-looking commitment to peace and prosperity in the South Caucasus, with the United States and Turkey playing critical roles in facilitating and securing this settlement. The sustainability of the peace process, however, depends on many factors, including historical hostilities, regional rivalries, and domestic political dynamics.
- The peace declaration, also known as the August 8, 2025 Declaration, has resulted in a reduced influence of Russia in the South Caucasus region, as Armenia and Azerbaijan now pursue more multi-vector foreign policies.
- Turkey, having played a crucial role in supporting the peace process in the South Caucasus, is seen as re-aligning with its "zero problems with neighbors" policy, with Armenia indicating a desire to open borders with Turkey and establish diplomatic relations.
- The normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as part of the August 8 Declaration, offers opportunities for cooperation with other international entities, such as the EU and NATO, potentially altering the political landscape of the region.
- With the endorsement of the August 8 Declaration, there is a heightened focus on economic development and infrastructure growth in the South Caucasus, as evidenced by the creation of the "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity" (TRIPP).
- The sustainability of the August 8 Declaration's peace process hinges upon a myriad of factors, including historical hostilities, regional rivalries, and domestic political dynamics, particularly in the capitals of Ankara and Istanbul, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds significant influence in Turkey’s general news and politics.
