On August 14, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke to Fox News, highlighting the achievements of the Washington peace agreement. Aliyev emphasized Azerbaijan’s connectivity projects, while Pashinyan focused on the economic benefits for regional and global partners, including Russia and Iran.

Aliyev's Remarks 

Ilham Aliyev stated that "it will be very difficult for any country, whether it's a country situated in our region or far away, to say something bad about today's achievement," emphasizing that Azerbaijan had taken a final step toward peace. He underlined that the agreement on the Zangezur TRIPP corridor was not aimed against any country but was a new connectivity project that would become an important part of international transportation routes. The President thanked US President Donald Trump and his team for their role in achieving the agreement. Addressing relations with Russia, Aliyev commented on the downing of Azerbaijan Airlines flight 8243 in December 2024. He said that Azerbaijan did not believe the incident was a deliberate attack but stressed that "the only thing that we demanded was to admit that, punish those who committed that crime, even if it was not intentional, and pay compensation to the victims and to the airline."

Pashinyan's Remarks 

On the same day, Nikol Pashinyan stated that the agreement signed in Washington contained tangible benefits for both Iran and Russia. Pashinyan explained that its implementation would allow Iran to gain railway access from the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea and enable Russia and Iran to establish a direct rail connection through the Caucasus—a route that currently does not exist. He emphasized that if the focus was on the economic aspect, then Russia and Iran, in addition to Armenia, Azerbaijan, the United States, and Türkiye, would gain "very important, truly tangible, and unprecedented benefits." The Prime Minister stressed that this would be a significant agreement contributing to global stability. He linked the development to Armenia’s "Crossroads of Peace" project, noting that the agreement could become a "crossroads of cooperation." Pashinyan concluded that the declaration provided "a very important and suitable platform" for achieving these goals.