Armenia and Azerbaijan Agree to Historic Peace Deal

After lengthy talks hosted by the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to a peace deal that will finally put an end to their lasting conflict.

Armenia and Azerbaijan, two neighboring nations in the Caucasus Mountains of Western Asia, share a long, unfriendly relationship with each other, but this new deal shows that the leaders of the two countries are willing to forgive and forget in an effort to turn things around.

Azerbaijan officially gained independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991, with Armenia gaining its independence less than one month later. However, the conflict between the two peoples began several years before that. The region of Nagorno-Karabakh is an enclave within Azerbaijan that is home to primarily Armenians, sparking conflict between the two sides before they even gained independence. When Azerbaijan and Armenia initially joined the Soviet Union in 1918, the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh were forced to live within Azerbaijan, but they eventually grew extremely unhappy with this decision.

In 1964, they sent a letter to the head of USSR asking for their region to be moved to the Armenian SSR, as they were under the Azerbaijani government at the time. The Armenians which supported the cause, though, were jailed and ejected from Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively dissipating any sort of possible rebellion.

Due to this inaction, Azerbaijani authorities attempted to dilute the Armenian majority of Nagorno-Karabakh with new citizens, leading to discrimination and mistreatment of the Armenians in the region. Armenian culture was heavily suppressed, and support for Armenian sports teams was considered illegal.

In 1988, tensions began rising, leading to several battles, and once Armenian and Azerbaijani independence was gained in 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh also declared independence of their own. This resulted in an all-out war, lasting from 1988 to 1994 and causing the deaths or injuries of over 30,000 people. By 1993, Armenia had taken control of Nagorno-Karabakh and around 20% of Azerbaijan's total territory. A ceasefire was established in 1994, though, leaving Nagorno-Karabakh's status in limbo.

Despite the ceasefire, fire was exchanged multiple times between then and 2020, escalating tensions along the border. In 2020, another war erupted, resulting in a win for Azerbaijan after another deal was negotiated. Then, in 2023, Azerbaijan launched a full-on offensive into Nagorno-Karabakh, effectively breaking down the region. Most of the Armenians residing in the area left for Armenia, and the area's government was also dissolved, ending the conflict and allowing for the reintegration of Nagorno-Karabakh into Azerbaijan.

Nevertheless, several problems remained. Border disputes continued, and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic was still cut off from Azerbaijan due to the Armenian territory standing between the two. Tensions between both countries were still extremely high, impacting trade, travel, and other industries.

Now, after intense negotiations with the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan have settled their differences and are opening up their borders and economies to each other. Additionally, Azerbaijan will gain control of a corridor traveling to Nakhchivan, allowing them safe passage into the other section of their territory without facing threats from Armenia.

The deal is also a part of US President Donald Trump's efforts to expand American influence in Western Asia, which has long been heavily affected by its neighbor, Russia. As former nations of USSR, Armenia and Azerbaijan have always sought Russian help to solve their disputes, but Trump has stepped in this time to improve relations with the two countries in his ongoing battle with Putin for global influence.

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