Latest news in Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, summary. Live

● Most topics in Azerbaijani media and social media are related to the historic trilateral meeting between the President of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of Armenia, and the President of the United States, during which the agreed text of an agreement on establishing peace and restoring relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia was initialed, along with several other documents. None of them have yet been published. According to sources, the text of the peace declaration consists of the following seven points:

1. The heads of state witnessed the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan initialing the Armenian–Azerbaijani Agreement on Establishing Peace and Interstate Relations. They pledged to strive for its signing and ratification.
2. They also witnessed the foreign ministers signing a joint appeal to the OSCE to terminate the work of the Minsk Group, which was created by the organization in 1992 to facilitate the Karabakh conflict talks under the co-chairmanship of the U.S., France, and Russia.
3. They confirmed the importance of unblocking regional communications “based on respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and jurisdiction of states.”
4. Armenia will work with the U.S. and third countries to organize on its territory a transit “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP). This route will connect Azerbaijan by land to its Nakhchivan autonomy through Armenian territory. A 40-cm segment of the road in Armenia will be managed by a joint U.S.–Armenian consortium.
5. The leaders recognized the need to “chart a course toward a bright future free from the conflicts of the past” in accordance with the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration, in which 11 Soviet republics declared the dissolution of the USSR and respect for each other’s borders and territorial integrity. The heads of state declared that conditions now exist for “building good-neighborly relations”: “this reality, which must never be revised, paves the way to ending hostility between our peoples.”
6. They expressed confidence that the Washington summit will serve as a solid foundation “for mutual respect and achieving peace in the region.”
7. They expressed gratitude to Trump “for his gracious hospitality” and “significant contribution to normalizing bilateral relations” between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A widely welcomed topic is President Trump’s decision to repeal Section 907 of the U.S. Freedom Support Act, which restricted military and economic ties between the U.S. and Azerbaijan. The amendment, adopted in 1992 during the first Karabakh war when Armenia occupied Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, banned U.S. government assistance to Azerbaijan due to its blockade of Armenia. For years, U.S. presidents temporarily waived it, but the Biden–Blinken administration reinstated it.

Statements by Ilham Aliyev to Azerbaijani journalists on the results of the historic Washington meeting here.

Statements by Nikol Pashinyan to Armenian journalists on the meeting’s results here.

Expert commentary on criticism of the agreements from Russia and Iran here.

●  Pope Leo XIV, during his traditional Sunday sermon, welcomed Armenia and Azerbaijan’s signing of the peace declaration: “I hope this will help establish lasting peace in the Caucasus,” he said.

●  President Ilham Aliyev called UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The UAE president congratulated him on the results of his U.S. visit. The importance of Aliyev’s recent visit to the UAE was noted. Aliyev invited him to visit Azerbaijan, and the invitation was accepted, pro-government Azerbaijani sources report.

●  Aliyev called Turkmen Halk Maslahaty (Parliament) Chairman Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. They discussed the importance of Berdimuhamedov’s recent visit to Azerbaijan and the UN conference on landlocked developing countries in Avaza, Turkmenistan. They also spoke about the peace agreement and the OSCE Minsk Group’s abolition, highlighting Trump’s role. Aliyev expressed confidence that unimpeded transport linking mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan will boost prosperity for the whole region, the state agency Azertac reports.

●  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Aliyev to congratulate him on the peace agenda’s progress between Armenia and Azerbaijan with U.S. support. Zelensky said the August 8 Washington meeting “went down in history.” The presidents condemned Russian airstrikes on an Azerbaijani SOCAR oil depot and other facilities in Ukraine, as well as a gas compressor station transporting Azerbaijani gas to Ukraine. Both expressed confidence that cooperation in the energy sector will continue.

●  The pro-government outlet Caliber, citing its sources, reported that Azerbaijan may lift its arms embargo on Ukraine. “If Russia continues its aggressive policy toward Azerbaijan’s interests, official Baku will begin considering lifting the embargo on supplying weapons to Ukraine from its arsenal,” the article said.

●  Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called Ilham Aliyev to congratulate him on “the historic significance of these results, which will create opportunities for comprehensive cooperation in the region.”

●  “Iran supports the Trump Route if it does not violate the territorial integrity of regional states,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said. He noted Iran’s requirements for the route were taken into account but voiced concern over the participation of not only Armenian but also U.S. companies. The day before, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, harshly criticized the project: “The South Caucasus is not an ownerless region for Trump to lease. This corridor will not be Trump’s Route but a graveyard for his mercenaries.” More on Iran’s reaction to the Trump-brokered agreements here.

●  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is convening a cabinet meeting today to discuss the agreements reached at the August 8 Washington meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders with Donald Trump. The agenda will also include next steps toward peace.

●  The Interior Ministry urged the public to protect the environment in Karabakh “to repair the damage done during 30 years of occupation and help restore ecological balance.” The ministry called on citizens to “fulfill their civic duty, avoid littering, and keep Karabakh – now a symbol of peace and tranquility – clean.”

Photos from the Washington meeting, published by the press service of the President of Azerbaijan.

● Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that the text of the peace agreement initialed on August 8 in Washington between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be published on Monday. “The content of the peace agreement is generally known to the public — we have already said what it contains and what it definitely does not contain. On August 11, as agreed with Azerbaijan, the text of the document will be published. With a sensible approach, all speculation should end from that moment,” Mirzoyan said.

● None of the documents signed as a result of the Washington talks have yet been published. There is only information that the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement was initialed, and bilateral agreements were signed between the US and Armenia, as well as between the US and Azerbaijan. In addition, in his speech, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev mentioned the OSCE Minsk Group and stated that its work was completed. The group had been involved in settling the Karabakh conflict, and recently Baku had been demanding its dissolution, declaring the conflict resolved.

● The main document for Armenia was the joint declaration on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The sides agreed to open a road connecting mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan. The road will pass through Armenia, with a section of about 40 km placed under the management of an Armenian-American consortium. This means the route will not be extraterritorial, as Baku had demanded by calling it the “Zangezur Corridor,” Armenian experts stress. Armenia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over this road will be preserved. This issue had caused the most concern among the Armenian public.

Other details about the Washington talks — here

● During a midnight press conference in Washington after the signing of the documents, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan answered questions from Armenian journalists, who were also most interested in the road-unblocking issue. The prime minister assured that, according to the joint declaration, the unblocking of both Armenian and Azerbaijani roads will occur simultaneously — on the principle of reciprocity. He emphasized that Armenia’s sovereignty would in no way be compromised. As a result of implementing the TRIPP program, Armenia will, according to Pashinyan, gain rail connections with the entire world. Gas pipelines, oil pipelines, power lines, and goods will pass through the country. “This will bring billions to Armenia. They will be invested in our children’s education, healthcare, and the well-being of our citizens. It will create new layers, tools, and formulas for security,” he said.

More on Nikol Pashinyan’s statements following the historic meeting in Washington — here.

Ilham Aliyev’s statements to Azerbaijani journalists after this meeting — here.

● “Armenia and Azerbaijan will not take a single step back in the peace process, and any problem, even if it arises, will be resolved,” Donald Trump said in response to an Armenian journalist’s question about whether there would be consequences if either side backed away from the agreements reached. “I don’t think that will happen. I think everything will be fine. And I told them [Pashinyan and Aliyev], I gave them my personal promise. They both know that if there is a problem, they will call me, and I will solve it,” Trump said.

● Following the Washington bilateral meeting between the Armenian prime minister and the US president, three memorandums were signed, Armenian Ambassador to the US Lilit Makunts reported. According to her, they define the main directions of bilateral relations for the coming years. “They concern capacity development under the Armenian government’s ‘Crossroads of Peace’ project [on unblocking regional communications], promoting innovation in artificial intelligence and semiconductors, and cooperation in energy security. From a strategic point of view, it is extremely important to have such planning,” Makunts said.

● After the bilateral meeting with Nikol Pashinyan, the US president presented him with symbolic keys to the White House (photo below). It is known that the same was given to the president of Azerbaijan.

● Opposition politicians in Armenia called the results of the Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting mediated by Trump in Washington a “capitulation.” They believe Azerbaijan and the US received “obvious and long-term strategic and economic benefits,” strengthened their positions in the region, while Armenia received only a “temporary reprieve.” In their view, the signed documents imply additional risks of “ending up at the center of explosive geopolitical attention.” “Naturally, the anti-state and collaborationist government is delighted with the vulgar exploitation of the term ‘sovereignty.’ But all supporters of the republic, regardless of political differences, must unite to start a movement for independence,” said Suren Surenyants, leader of the Democratic Alternative party.

● The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) also sharply criticized the outcome of the Washington meeting, arguing that key issues for Armenia remained unresolved. “The destruction of Nagorno-Karabakh is not peace; normalizing ethnic cleansing is not peace; abandoning Christian holy sites is not peace; Armenian hostages and prisoners [still in Baku] is not peace; recognizing Azerbaijani occupation of Armenian territories is not peace; peace at gunpoint is not peace,” the statement read.

● Iran’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the initialing of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, while expressing “concern about possible negative consequences of any external interference, especially near common borders, which could undermine security and stability in the region.” Iran was particularly troubled by reports of US involvement in opening the road through Armenia to connect mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan — the “Trump Route.”

● Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was forced to address this issue to ease tensions within Iranian society: “Things are not as exaggerated in the news. Iran’s requirements related to this route were taken into account. Iran supports the implementation of the ‘Trump Route’ if it does not violate the territorial integrity of the states in the region.”

● “NATO is trying to strengthen its influence in the South Caucasus under the guise of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs. “If we reject Ukraine’s membership in NATO, we should not allow NATO in through the backyard. And that is exactly what is happening in the South Caucasus. This is what NATO member Turkey is aiming for,” Zatulin said.

● Pope Leo XIV, during his Sunday sermon, stated: “Let us continue to pray for an end to wars. I congratulate Armenia and Azerbaijan on signing a joint declaration on peace. I hope this will serve to establish lasting peace in the Caucasus.”

● The Prime Minister and the Foreign Ministry from the “Georgian Dream” party congratulated Azerbaijan and Armenia on their historic achievement toward peace at the trilateral meeting of Aliyev-Pashinyan-Trump in Washington and declared the “beginning of a new era of stability and economic development in the region.”

● The fifth president, Salome Zurabishvili (who is in opposition to the ruling “Georgian Dream”), welcomed the agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, reached with the mediation of the USA, and emphasized Russia’s obstructive role in achieving peace. “Your success is the success of peace and progress in the Caucasus. The people of Georgia know the value of peace and independence and appreciate this great achievement after decades during which Russia hindered it,” Zurabishvili addressed the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the USA in [X].

● The Central Election Commission announced that 17 parties have submitted applications to participate in the local government elections in October. Five electoral subjects who took part in the 2024 parliamentary elections retained the same numbers they had in the parliamentary elections. Two opposition groups — the “National Movement” and the “Coalition for Change” — lost their electoral numbers because they applied to use them but did not submit applications to participate in the elections. As a result, their numbers were assigned to other parties: number 5 was given to the party “Our United Georgia,” and number 4 to the party “Georgian Unity.” Eight opposition parties have earlier announced a boycott of the municipal elections until new free parliamentary elections are held. Two well-known opposition parties declared their participation in the municipal elections. The rest of the political subjects are mostly considered by experts as satellites of the ruling “Georgian Dream.”

● Archimandrite Dorothe Kurashvili: “Global events are happening in the world, and they (the authorities from ‘Georgian Dream’) panic and grab young people on the streets, chase after them. Politics is just PR, and our country, instead, has torn relations with the world community. This means they are not politicians, not saviors of the country. They invent some dangers, then promote them and become victims of this propaganda themselves. They show it on TV and believe in it themselves. They are scared and scare people. This is their shame and madness. Soon they will start talking about revelations as if something was revealed to them. Because people have only two paths — either to God or to evil. They and their propagandists chose evil and became temples of the devil. There is no trace of truth left in them. This is very sad, but everyone will bear the evil fruits of this themselves.”

Top stories in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia from 4-8 August, 2025