Azerbaijan and Armenia will sign an initial peace agreement on Friday to boost economic ties between the two countries after decades of conflict, the White House said, with President Donald Trumpset to welcome the leaders of both nations for a signing ceremony at the White House, Reuters reports.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told reporters that Trump would sign separate deals with both Armenia and Azerbaijan on energy, technology, economic cooperation, border security, infrastructure and trade. No further details were provided.
"What's going to happen here with the Trump route is, this isn't charity. This is a highly investable entity," said one senior administration official, adding that at least nine companies had been in touch in recent days to discuss possible investments.
Senior administration officials told reporters the agreement was the first to end one of several frozen conflicts on Russia's periphery since the end of the Cold War and said it would send a powerful signal to the entire region.
"This isn't just about Armenia. It's not just about Azerbaijan. It's about the entire region, and they know that that region is going to be safer and more prosperous with President Trump," a senior administration official said.
