Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Bishkek on August 31 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, reviewing the peace process and practical areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The leaders highlighted the August 8, 2025 Washington Peace Summit, the joint declaration signed by Aliyev and Pashinyan and witnessed by US President Donald Trump, as well as the initialing of the agreement on the establishment of peace and inter-state relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Azerbaijani President and the Armenian Prime Minister pointed to several recent developments as measurable results of the improving bilateral relationship, including Azerbaijani petroleum supplies to Armenia, the transit of grain and other goods from third countries through Azerbaijani territory to Armenia, and the establishment of direct trade ties.

In a related development, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said in an interview with Armenia’s Public TV that Armenian businesses would soon begin supplying goods to Azerbaijani companies. “In the next few days you will learn that Azerbaijani companies bought goods from Armenian companies,” Mirzoyan added, without specifying the products involved. The latter would mark an initial expansion of commercial contacts between businesses in the two countries, which have so far been centered largely on Azerbaijani petroleum supplies to Armenia.

Aliyev and Pashinyan also discussed opportunities to expand economic, trade and energy cooperation and welcomed growing contacts between their business communities. The meeting further focused on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), with the leaders covering practical steps for its implementation and highlighting the importance of transport connectivity along the route. Armenian prime minister added that implementation of TRIPP is expected to begin on the ground in the coming months and could create new transport opportunities between the Caspian and Mediterranean regions as well as between the Persian Gulf and Black Sea.

Leaders of both countries positively assessed confidence-building contacts involving parliamentarians and civil society representatives, noting their contribution to mutual trust and the broader peace process. Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to continue direct bilateral engagement on consolidating lasting peace, advancing the normalization of interstate relations and strengthening regional connectivity. Speaking at the SCO Plus summit, Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan and Armenia had ended a conflict that lasted more than 30 years by initialing the peace agreement and described the South Caucasus as becoming a “zone of peace”. 

Pashinyan framed the regional opening as part of Armenia’s broader effort to preserve sovereignty and independence. He remarked that Armenia could not remain a sovereign state while continuously living in conflict, and indicated deeper relations with Iran and Georgia and developing ties with Azerbaijan and Türkiye as part of that approach. 

Türkiye has meanwhile reiterated its support for the peace process. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told Aliyev in Bishkek that Ankara would continue contributing to Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization and stressed the importance of cooperation in energy, infrastructure and transport.

The official-level contacts continued on September 1, when Armenian Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan met with Azerbaijani presidential aide and foreign-policy chief Hikmet Hajiyev in Bishkek to continue discussions on the peace agenda.

The Bishkek meeting and the follow-up contacts put practical implementation at the center of the next stage, with the two sides focusing on trade, border delimitation and transport connectivity alongside the broader peace and normalization process.