Contributor: Armenians deserve more than a transactional peace deal with Azerbaijan

While hosting the White House Trio on August 8, Signing of the Peace AgreementAmong the Armenian, Azerbaijan and the United States, I talked to a group of Armenian high school students from Los Angeles. We stopped watching the news conference on a laptop in the corner of our crowded room. Their faces – curious, cautious and skeptical – reflected a feeling along the Armenian diaspora: Hope with suspicion, shadowed pride of insecurity.

The roots of this conflict deepen. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a brutal war on a region within the borders of Azerbaijan, but it was claimed by both nations. Azerbaijani calls Nagorno-Karabak; The Armenians call it Artsakh. A ceasefire held for years, but the basic disagreements left unresolved-the regional, governance and the right to self-determination for the Armenian population of the region.

The war exploded again in 2020. It was supported by Türkiye and Azerbaijan, which was equipped with advanced weapons, seized the control of most of the controversial region. The Trump administration did nothing to intervene in a significant way. It was a destructive loss for Armenians – soil, security, trust and cultural heritage. For Azerbaijan, it was a political and military victory that changed the balance of power.

In December 2022, Azerbaijan launched a blockade of the Lachin corridor, the only way to connect Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh to Armenia. For the next 10 months, gas, electricity, internet, food and medicine were cut to 120,000 Armenians, most children and elderly. Families are rational. The surgeries were postponed. Schools are closed.

During this time I visited the area and stood at the Armenian end of the corridor, where a silent truck convoy was on the road – each of them was loaded with food, medicine and basic materials, knowing that each driver could never be allowed to deliver them. The weather was heavy with frustration and helplessness. Within the scope of the siege, the isolated Armenians spoke in silent tones, their faces withdrawn from fear and deprivation for months. . The International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan To reopen the corridor, but Baku ignored.

I was proud to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, a moral milestone delayed for decades. However, the administration could not punish Azerbaijan during the blockade and could not prevent the following: Azerbaijan’s full-scale military attack on Nagorno-Karabakh/Artsakh in September 2023. The attack lasted 24 hours, but forced the region to remove all the population-houses of more than 100,000 ethnic male men-in-mans. Centuries -old communities were evacuated almost overnight, and families left their homes, businesses and places of worship behind, and it was unclear whether they would go back.

I felt that the Trump administration was chewing while watching the efforts of making peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On the one hand, I like to see my country, the United States, to stand with Armenia and to give priority to Armenian issues on the world stage. On the other hand, this moment feels empty. And in my opinion, this reflects a deeper problem: the US policy of the South Caucasus has long for a long time consistency, accountability, and the desire to confront the attackers, regardless of the party in power. In Washington, there are few friends of Armenians and weak representations.

This agreement – like most of the foreign policy in the current administration – is clearly processing. Armenia is gaining cooperation in US security safety and artificial intelligence, including support for an AI center that emerged to anchor Western orbit. Azerbaijan is moving away from Artsakh against the Armenians.– Weapon sales and transit corridor to Türkiye. The United States receives a geopolitical trophy: Trump’s name in the Turkish corridor, the leverage in the region and a significant diplomatic “win” to market at home.

However, this agreement is far from complete. He neglects the right to return to Artsakh of the displaced Armenians, ignores the destruction of the towns, houses and enterprises of the Armenians, does not commit to protecting the cultural heritage of Artsakh and does not say anything about the prisoners of war. For many people in Armenian diasporas, these are prominent and unacceptable deficiencies.

The connection from Azerbaijan, the new Trump route for international peace and prosperity, is invoiced as an impartial, collaborative way to be governed by the United States and reveals serious questions about Armenia’s sovereignty. The corridor will pass from the Southern Synik province of Armenia to Iran – one direct land connection – and weaken the ability to fully control Yerevan’s own borders, regulate trade and provide unauthorized access to a vital southern life line.

At best, the August 8 agreement offers subtle hope for a real solution of the conflicts of the region. If fully applied, it can help create a more stable and prosperous Armenia for future generations. The difficulty is to ensure that this agreement invests in the US restructuring, accountability and permanent security, which is a photograph Op.

And even incomplete, defective agreements can create openings. Underlining the agreement, Armenia’s Pivot West carries risks, but at the same time, these benefits offer more powerful security partnerships, economic renewal and cultural protection if it reaches not only leaders who have signed newspapers, but to people who endure the war and blockade. In recent years, Armenia has seen an amazing economic explosion directed by a wave of technology investment, tourism and returning diaspora ability. This fragile momentum can be strengthened or discharged depending on what the next step is.

I respect President Trump for making peace agreements – leaders everywhere should make peace the highest priority. Armenian American students, who met on August 8, with the inherited pain of their parents and grandfather, deserve more than symbolic gestures or trading agreements. They deserve the freedom to foresee a better future for justice and the homeland of their ancestors. After all, this is the hope that we all share.

Jirair Ratevosian served as a senior policy consultant for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the direction of Biden.