BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 8. The United States
has highlighted the progress made over the past year since the
Washington Summit between Azerbaijan and Armenia, pointing to
advances in the implementation of the Trump Route for International
Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).


U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the remarks in a
statement issued on August 8, 2026, marking the first anniversary
of the Washington Summit.


"One year ago today, President Trump secured peace between
Armenia and Azerbaijan when he hosted President Aliyev of
Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia together at the
White House and witnessed their signing of a historic Joint
Declaration," Rubio said.


According to him, the declaration ended decades of conflict in
the South Caucasus and launched the TRIPP project.


Rubio noted that over the past 12 months, the United States has
worked alongside Armenia and Azerbaijan to turn the agreements
reached at the summit into practical progress.


"TRIPP – a multimodal transit route that will modernize rails,
road, energy and digital infrastructure – is on its way to becoming
a reality, with engineering surveys for the railway in Armenia
already underway and Azerbaijan’s near completion of a highway and
railroad to connect into Armenia," the statement reads.


The U.S. Secretary of State also emphasized that peace has
opened the way for stronger ties between the United States, Armenia
and Azerbaijan, contributing to the economic prosperity of all
three countries.


Rubio announced the launch of the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund,
which will support private-sector investment along the
Trans-Caspian Trade Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, in
the South Caucasus and Central Asia.


According to him, the fund is now operational, with a newly
elected board of directors and $201 million in U.S. government
funding.


"This progress reflects a simple truth: peace and prosperity
reinforce one another. TRIPP is more than an infrastructure project
– it is a vital link in the Trans-Caspian Trade Route, a driver of
commercial opportunities for the United States and others, and a
model for how economic cooperation can cement peace following the
resolution of long-standing disputes," Rubio said.


He reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with Azerbaijan
and Armenia to build on the foundation established over the past
year.


"We congratulate both nations on the courage and vision they
have shown over the past year, and we look forward to continued
progress toward a durable, lasting peace in the South Caucasus,"
Rubio stated.


On August 8, 2025, following a trilateral meeting with U.S.
President Donald Trump in Washington, President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev and Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint
declaration on establishing peace between Baku and Yerevan and
restoring transport connectivity between mainland Azerbaijan and
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The initiative was named the
"Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity."


As part of the meeting, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun
Bayramov and Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan initialed
the draft "Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate
Relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of
Armenia" and signed a joint appeal by the foreign ministers of
Azerbaijan and Armenia to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office calling
for the termination of the OSCE Minsk Process, the mandate of the
Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the
conflict dealt with by the Minsk Conference, and the High-Level
Planning Group.