Vatican hails Armenia-Azerbaijan peace deal as 'sign of hope'

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Pope Leo on Sunday welcomed progress towards peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia after they signed a trilateral peace roadmap with the US.

At the Sunday Angelus, Pope Leo hailed the new peace deal between two southern Caucasus nations, Vatican News reported.

The pontiff called the agreement between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan "a sign of hope."

Their joint declaration is a significant step forward and one "we all hope will contribute to a stable and lasting peace in the South Caucasus," he said.

On Friday, the two countries’ leaders signed the joint declaration at a trilateral summit at the White House along with US President Donald Trump.

The agreement aims to end decades of conflict, with commitments to cease hostilities, reopen transport routes, and normalize relations.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought a series of cross-border wars since the late 1980s, including since 2020, when Azerbaijan liberated its territory of Karabakh.