Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 8, 2026.

According to a readout from Pashinyan’s office, the sides exchanged views on the occasion of the first anniversary of the Peace Summit held in Washington on August 8, 2025, with the support of U.S. President Donald Trump, during which peace was established between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the text of the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also initialed.

The sides particularly noted the important role of President Donald Trump and the Government of the United States in advancing the peace process.

The sides noted the progress recorded over the past year in the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, the development of trade and economic ties between the two countries was emphasized as a tangible manifestation of the benefits of peace. In this context, the sides noted the export of Azerbaijani petroleum products to Armenia, as well as the transportation of transit cargo through the territory of Azerbaijan to Armenia and from Armenia to other destinations.

In addition, the sides exchanged views on the implementation of the TRIPP route in accordance with the agreements reached in Washington.

The leaders of the two countries emphasized the importance of continuing efforts to advance the peace process and ensure lasting peace, stability, connectivity, and economic cooperation in the region.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke by phone on Saturday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

According to a readout from the Prime Minister’s Office, Pashinyan thanked President Trump for hosting the August 8, 2025, Peace Summit at the White House in Washington and for signing, as a witness, the Peace Declaration adopted by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan emphasized the decisive importance of Trump’s personal efforts in establishing peace.

Pashinyan and Trump welcomed the fact that the Washington Peace Summit had resulted in genuine peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the peoples of both countries can see and feel.

During the phone conversation, they discussed the current status of the implementation of the TRIPP project.

Pashinyan and Trump reaffirmed their determination to begin construction of TRIPP in the near future.

They also discussed other issues on the Armenia-U.S. bilateral and international agenda.

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio has released a statement marking the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit in Washington.

Below is the full statement, published by the U.S. State Department.

“One year ago today, President Trump secured peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan when he hosted President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia together at the White House and witnessed their signing of a historic Joint Declaration.  This declaration ended decades of conflict in the South Caucasus and launched the trailblazing Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — TRIPP.

Over the past twelve months, the United States has worked side-by-side with Armenia and Azerbaijan to turn that promise into progress.  The TRIPP – a multimodal transit route that will modernize rails, road, energy and digital infrastructure – is on its way to becoming a reality with engineering surveys for the railway in Armenia already underway and Azerbaijan’s near completion of a highway and railroad to connect into Armenia.

Peace has opened the door to enhanced relationships between the United States, Armenia, and Azerbaijan that will add to the economic prosperity of all three countries. Today, I am pleased to announce that the Trans-Caspian Enterprise Fund is up and running, led by a newly elected board of directors and capitalized with $201 million in U.S. government funding to spur private sector investment across the Trans-Caspian Trade Route (Middle Corridor) in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

This progress reflects a simple truth: peace and prosperity reinforce one another.  TRIPP is more than an infrastructure project — it is a vital link in the Trans-Caspian Trade Route, a driver of commercial opportunities for the United States and others, and a model for how economic cooperation can cement peace following the resolution of long-standing disputes.

The United States remains fully committed to working with Armenia and Azerbaijan as they build on this foundation. We congratulate both nations on the courage and vision they have shown over the past year, and we look forward to continued progress toward a durable, lasting peace in the South Caucasus.”

Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan has released a statement marking the first anniversary of the signing of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Declaration in Washington.

“Today is the first anniversary of peace,” Rubinyan said on social media, posting a video message.

“A year ago, when the peace declaration was signed in Washington, skeptics did not believe that it would bring real peace. They did not believe that it would put an end to the endless shootings and casualties along the border. They did not believe that we would break out of the blockade.

“They said outright that, by doing this, we were giving the other side a way forward, while getting nothing in return and remaining under blockade.

“The developments over the following year proved otherwise. It has now been not just one year, but two and a half years since anyone was wounded or killed by fire from the other side along the border,” he said.

He highlighted that Armenia has not only avoided remaining under blockade but has also been the first to reap the benefits of unblocking, gaining a railway connection to the outside world through Azerbaijan. He emphasized that the same has happened through Türkiye, as Türkiye recently lifted restrictions on Armenia’s use of its railway network.

“This is real peace, and we should be happy about it. We deserve peace. Yes, not all the issues have been resolved yet. There will still be problems, and there will be statements that will upset us.

“We will still get upset, but not because of gunfire—or rather, we will get upset without gunfire along the border, without casualties. Because there is peace,” Rubinyan said.

The British Embassy in Yerevan has released a statement on the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit held in Washington, D.C., expressing its commitment to supporting efforts towards lasting peace.

“On the first anniversary of the agreements reached at the Washington Summit, we recognize the political leadership shown in taking a historic step towards peace. Maintaining momentum through continued dialogue and cooperation remains essential to building a secure and prosperous region for generations to come. The UK remains committed to supporting efforts towards a durable and lasting peace,” the British Embassy said in a statement.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-mediated joint peace declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025. On the same day, Armenia and Azerbaijan also initialed a peace treaty.

French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pascal Confavreux has issued a statement marking the first anniversary of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit held in Washington, D.C.

“August 8, 2026, marks the first anniversary of the historic agreement aimed at normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Over the past year, the authorities of the two countries have taken important and courageous steps to make peace a tangible reality for their peoples. The reopening of the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the development of regional connectivity should create an opportunity for the South Caucasus to once again become a space for comprehensive cooperation, serving as a link between Europe and Asia. France hopes that the process will continue with the signing and ratification of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the statement says.

He added that France, together with its European partners, will continue to actively contribute to this process, with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a U.S.-mediated joint peace declaration in Washington on August 8, 2025. On the same day, the two countries also initialed a peace treaty.

The Firebird AI Factory has officially opened in Armenia’s Hrazdan, marking the launch of the first phase of a major investment project.

“This is an important and historic day for our city,” Hrazdan Mayor Sevak Mikayelyan said.

“From now on, Hrazdan will appear on the global technology map as a center of innovation and high technology,” Mikayelyan said.

According to him, the AI Factory’s operations will create new opportunities for Hrazdan’s economic development, attract new investments, and create new jobs.

“This is a new page in Hrazdan’s history,” he said.

Mikayelyan recalled that the total investment in the data center construction project is estimated at $5 billion.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the official opening ceremony of the Firebird AI Factory in Hrazdan, highlighting the role of the August 8, 2025, Armenia-Azerbaijan peace summit in Washington in making the project possible.

The opening took place on the first anniversary of the peace summit.

“First, let me congratulate all of us on this event and, more broadly, on August 8, because I feel that August 8 is gaining increasing significance in the history of the Republic of Armenia.

What is happening today is, in fact, a very important and significant event. For a long time, we have been discussing, both publicly and privately within the government, the need to change our understanding of speed. When, last year, Rev Lebaredian (NVIDIA vice president), Razmig Hovaghimian (Firebird AI co-founder), and Alexander Yesayan (Firebird AI co-founder) told us about their intention to implement such a project within a year or even less, I must admit that it sounded very unusual and even strange. At least, I did not show my feelings about it.

And here we are today, at the exact agreed location and at the right time. But we must recognize what made all this possible.

Of course, it is clear that the peace summit held at the White House in the United States on August 8, 2025, at the initiative and with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump, and its outcome were of key importance to today’s event.

I remember that last September, we had to justify ourselves for returning from the United States having signed only a memorandum of understanding in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence, because many people were not convinced by our argument that the memorandum was a substantial document and would produce results very soon.

And here is the result.”

Pashinyan once again emphasized that August 8, 2025, was a turning point for both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“I called the President of Azerbaijan today, by the way, and we spoke about the significance of today’s event. This is indeed an event of historic importance. We must acknowledge that peace is a turning point in terms of transforming the economic and investment environment in our country. Following these developments, international agencies have been revising Armenia’s sovereign credit ratings one after another, essentially sending a clear message to the investment community that Armenia is a place where investments can be made with confidence,” Pashinyan said.

He added that in the near future, the Armenian government will focus on another large-scale project, the TRIPP project, which will further raise Armenia’s profile on the international investment map.

According to the Prime Minister, it is particularly interesting to see how political and economic processes go hand in hand.

“In our reality, although much has been discussed at the theoretical level about the interconnectedness of the economy and politics, and of investment and politics, in practice, we have not often seen this. Today’s event is a vivid example. Following the establishment of strategic relations with the United States in January 2025, developments have accelerated,” he said.

Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister Zhaslan Madiyev also attended the event. In his speech, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled that he had spoken by phone with the President of Kazakhstan the previous week and held working discussions with the Kazakh Prime Minister on August 7 on the sidelines of a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council.

“It is a great pleasure for us to have the Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan here today, and we are grateful for his presence. Today, relations between Armenia and Kazakhstan are developing at an incredible pace. This is a very good example of how politics is changing in the Republic of Armenia, how political perceptions are changing in the Republic of Armenia, and how the very concept of the state is being reaffirmed in the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said.

He also addressed Armenia-Diaspora cooperation, noting that the opening of the artificial intelligence factory in Hrazdan is a very good example of such cooperation.

According to him, Rev Lebaredian and Razmig Hovaghimian, who represent the Armenian Diaspora, are focused not on sympathizing with Armenia, but on contributing to the country’s development and playing an active role in its progress.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Republic of Armenia does not need sympathy, and I say this officially. The Republic of Armenia needs partnership and cooperation. The Republic of Armenia is a reliable partner, and I want to thank you, dear compatriots, for responding to the government’s message.

I truly appreciate it, and it is a great honor for me that today we are talking about completely different agendas—an agenda of the state, an agenda of life, an agenda of the future. The future is now, it is here, it is today, and you can see that future with your own eyes today. Thank you to everyone who has helped create that future,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Firebird’s data center in Hrazdan is the largest AI factory in the CIS region, establishing a new AI computing hub powered by NVIDIA accelerated computing and Dell Technologies’ high-performance AI infrastructure.

While AI services are available globally, countries also need the capacity to develop and run AI for their own languages, industries and national priorities. Firebird’s AI factory brings that capacity to Armenia, giving developers, startups, enterprises, universities and public institutions the compute to build and scale AI at home.

NVIDIA said that Firebird plans to deploy more than 70,000 NVIDIA Rubin and Blackwell GPUs and 300 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity in Armenia by the end of 2027, accelerating the country’s development as a center for AI research, advanced computing and innovation.

At this scale, energy efficiency is essential. Built on the NVIDIA DSX platform, this AI factory integrates accelerated computing, networking, power and cooling as one codesigned system. Firebird’s AI factory is designed from the ground up to turn compute into revenue. With DSX, it can run up to 40% more GPUs on the same footprint, producing more tokens per dollar and extracting more value from every megawatt of capacity.

NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang also lauded the launch in a video message.

UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has congratulated Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, a senior member of the Civil Contract party, on the party’s victory in the June 7 parliamentary elections.

“The establishment of our Strategic Partnership has opened a new chapter in UK-Armenia ties, providing a framework for deeper cooperation across shared priorities. I hope our teams can continue to work together closely as we take this important work forward,” Miliband said in a letter to Mirzoyan, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Tone Kajzer, Slovenia’s newly appointed Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, has congratulated Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on his reappointment, the Foreign Ministry said.

“Slovenia firmly supports the growing partnership between the European Union and Armenia. We stand ready to contribute to efforts to build lasting peace, resilience and sustainable stability across the wider region,” FM Kajzer said in a letter.

Following the parliamentary elections, the Pashinyan administration began a new term, with nearly all Cabinet members retaining their posts.