Trump addresses Armenia-Azerbaijan peace at first Board of Peace meeting in Washington

The first meeting of the Board of Peace on Gaza was held in Washington at the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in attendance.

During the meeting, President Trump also touched upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process. He said that after 32 years of confrontation, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan had made significant efforts toward establishing peace.

Addressing Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, Trump thanked them for their work and progress. “I thank you very much. You have done a really great job. You are already friends,” Trump said. Recalling their previous meeting at the Oval Office, he noted that at first the two leaders had felt uncomfortable sitting close to each other, given the long history of hostilities. However, he said that over the course of their discussions, they moved closer, ultimately reaching an agreement. “So they started off a little weak and they ended up really strong, and you can be very proud of yourselves. It was a beautiful thing to see. Thank you,” Trump said, urging the two leaders to shake hands.

The U.S. President emphasized that the agreement marked an important step toward peace between the two countries.