Aliyev on Washington deal, Zangezur corridor, energy

President Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to Al Arabiya announcing that the Washington initialling on 8 August marks the end of the Armenia–Azerbaijan confrontation and setting out reconstruction, corridor and energy plans.

• Main announcement and implementation details:

  • Washington initialling (8 August) is framed as the end of the conflict; a formal peace agreement awaits an Armenian constitutional amendment removing territorial claims to Azerbaijan.
  • Azerbaijan insisted on dissolution of the Minsk Group and secured initialling of a document in the presence of President Trump; Azerbaijan says the Minsk Group’s legal existence is now being ended.
  • On the Zangezur Corridor / TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity): Aliyev described it as a ~42 km route needing international security guarantees, with highways and a railroad on Azerbaijani territory expected to be completed next year (rail/highway projects) and the corridor’s physical railroad potentially buildable in about one year if implemented by Azerbaijan; he said it should materialize “very soon” but implementation requires Armenia to do its part.

• Reconstruction, energy and timeline specifics:

  • ‘Great Return’ program: more than 50,000 IDPs already resettled in liberated territories; full infrastructure projects expected in 2–3 years; mine contamination remains significant (Azerbaijan alleges more than 1 million landmines planted, and ~400 casualties since Nov 2020, including >70 killed).
  • Energy agreements and targets: ceremonial start on 2 August for Azerbaijani gas to Syria; ~1.2 billion cubic meters of gas agreed for Syria so far; Azerbaijan projects +8 billion cubic meters of additional gas capacity by 2030 and plans 6 gigawatts of solar and wind by 2030 (contracts/investments from UAE, Saudi Arabia, China); ~300 megawatts of hydropower in Karabakh already created; ADNOC took a stake in a Caspian gas field and SOCAR holds a stake in a UAE oil development project; a desalination plant partner from Saudi Arabia has been selected for Caspian shore development.