The meeting between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek on August 31 marked another important step in advancing the peace process between Baku and Yerevan following the historic Washington summit on August 8, 2025. A year after the political breakthrough achieved with U.S. participation, the two sides are demonstrating that the course they had set is not only being maintained, but is gradually being fleshed out—from trade and transit to energy cooperation, border delimitation, and the development of transport links. The key outcome of the meeting in Bishkek was the reaffirmation of the two countries' commitment to further strengthening sustainable peace, normalizing interstate relations, and developing direct bilateral contacts.
This continuity is particularly significant today: the parties are not returning to discussions of past stages, but are continuing to work on implementing the agreements reached within the framework of the new peace phase. It's significant that the leaders once again noted the historic significance of the Washington Peace Summit, the Joint Declaration signed following it, and the initialed text of the Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations. Thus, Baku and Yerevan effectively confirmed that this treaty remains the foundation for further progress toward sustainable peace.
At the same time, the meeting's agenda itself demonstrates how significantly the content of the Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue has changed. Along with political issues, the leaders discussed concrete mechanisms for peaceful coexistence. Trade, transit, energy cooperation, border delimitation, and transport connectivity were at the center of attention.
The fact that economic relations are gradually becoming one of the practical dimensions of peace has particular significance. The export of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia, the transit of grain and other goods through Azerbaijan, the development of bilateral trade, and contacts between business communities testify to the emergence of real economic ties between the two countries. These are no longer the potential benefits of a peace agreement, but processes that have actually begun to take place.
A joint statement by the U.S., Azerbaijan, and Armenia, published on the first anniversary of the Washington summit, noted that over the past year, approximately 60,000 tons of cargo had been transported through Azerbaijan to and from Armenia, while Azerbaijan supplied Armenia with 20,000 tons of petroleum products. The same document emphasized that the parties continue to work to expand bilateral trade. Thus, the economic component is gradually becoming an important element of peacekeeping.
The more trade, transport, and energy ties emerge between the two countries, the more meaningful the relationship itself becomes and the greater the practical incentives for maintaining stability. The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) remains an important area of this work. In Bishkek, President Ilham Aliyev and Pashinyan discussed further practical steps for its implementation and emphasized the importance of developing transport projects along the route.
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