Fresno Armenian writer hopes Trump did not sell her people out in new deal | Opinion

Recently, a peace agreement was signed by Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, and Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, at the White House with the intent of bringing a resolution to their long-standing mutual disputes.

Both leaders credit President Donald Trump in helping broker the deal. With more than 35 years of ongoing conflict between the two countries, this “deal” or agreement, will open the Zangezur Corridor, a major transit route, officially to be known as the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.” The road will connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, and pass directly through Armenian territory. It will operate under Armenian control with the United States being granted major influence and development rights.

Many Armenians are skeptical as to whether this is actually an agreement for peace, or if, with a quick stroke of his pen, Pashinyan sold Armenia’s soul. Not long ago, Aliyev referred to Armenians as “hateful enemies” and has been known to use aggressive, hate-fueled rhetoric, calling Armenians “jackals” and “bloodthirsty enemies.” A few years earlier, he referred to Armenians as “dogs that should be driven out of Nagorno Karabakh,” (a disputed enclave on Azeri land known as Artsakh to the indigenous Armenians who, for centuries, occupied the area).

With that in mind, beginning in 2020, Aliyev, wanting to evacuate Armenians from Artsakh, ordered brutal attacks against Armenian men, women and children, leaving innocent people without food or electricity and blocking all humanitarian aid. Hospitals and schools were bombed and many Armenian lives were lost.

In September 2023, after three years of fighting, Aliyev achieved his goal, forcing over 100,000 Armenians out of Nagorno-Karabakh and into exile, leaving their homes and possessions behind. During this time, the United States, mainstream media and the entire world remained silent. Where was the outrage as we’ve seen with Gaza and Israel or Russia and Ukraine? Where were the peacekeepers when Armenians cried out for help?

With such volatile history and hate-filled rants against Armenians, has Aliyev suddenly had an epiphany, embracing peace with a people he hates, or does he have ulterior motives? How can peace be achieved in an uncertain environment that could endanger the stability and sovereignty of Armenia?

It stands to be seen if the “TRIPP” route will actually benefit Armenia or lead to Armenia’s demise. This so-called “peace agreement” has several concerning concessions Armenia must agree to before Aliyev will fully endorse it.

With Pashinyan on Aliyev’s “leash,” Aliyev is demanding an amendment to Armenia’s constitution, raising concerns and objections from Armenians worldwide as well as the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

ANCA recently stated this “deal” “sidelines justice, undermines Armenia’s sovereignty and rewards Azerbaijan’s unpunished aggressions” against Armenians. ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian is deeply disturbed that the United States is dismissing Azerbaijan’s “genocidal ethnic cleansing of over 150,00 indigenous Armenian Christians,” further stating “lasting peace requires justice; the right of return for displaced Armenians, the release of hostages, protection for Christian heritage sites, and the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from Armenia — none of which are addressed in this agreement” and offers no enforceable security guarantees for Armenia.

This is most troubling as Armenia lies between Turkey and Azerbaijan, both of which have a long history of aggression against the Armenian people. They don’t care about the people; Armenian land is the prize. Turkey, an important ally to Azerbaijan, has long awaited access between the two countries. Hamparian added, “any project that prioritizes pipelines over people or transit over justice does not advance peace — it threatens it.

In his quest for peace, did President Trump research Armenia’s troubling history of past hostilities against it, or did he rush into the “art of the deal” inadvertently brokering an agreement that could possibly lead to the downfall of Armenia? Will he guarantee protection if Armenia falls under attack?

Many of us Armenians fear one day, we may be a people without a country. I pray we haven’t been played as fools.

Clarice Krikorian serves on the board of the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Fresno.

This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 11:09 AM.