WASHINGTON D.C.—U.S. Senator Steve Daines today joined Fox News’ America Reports to preview the historic peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia and his role in the matter. Daines will join President Trump at the White House this afternoon for the historic signing of the agreement.
Watch the full video HERE.
Daines on the importance of a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia:
Well, this is a historic moment, thanks to President Trump’s leadership. You have to think about where in this part of the world we’re talking about, Azerbaijan is the only country in the world that borders, both Russia and Iran. It’s in the Caucasus. It is an important strategic realignment that has global implications thanks to President Trump’s leadership. For far too long, Russia has been the power broker in that part of the world. This will bring peace to a region that’s had 40 years of war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Azerbaijan is a Shiite Muslim country. Armenia has Christian roots dating back to 400 AD. This is a peace breakthrough. And I can tell you, having spent time with both leaders in the respective countries in May, working to bring this deal together, thanks to President Trump’s leadership, it’s going to happen today at the White House. And I can tell you, Secretary Rubio, as well as Steve Witkoff and his teams, have been masterful in putting this together. Another feather in the cap for President Trump bringing peace to very troubled parts of the world.
Daines on how he helped broker the peace deal:
Well, look, think about it you are meeting with leaders. With President Aliyev in Baku, Azerbaijan, and then went to Yerevan, Armenia [and met with] Prime Minister Pashinyan. These countries have been at war for 40 years. There’s not always a lot of trust between these countries, certainly at war. Who is the leader who can bring them together? It is President Trump. When I met with each of those leaders, they told me that a meeting in Washington with President Trump brokering the peace deal was key. Remember, Joe Biden tried to do this, he failed. Vladimir Putin has tried to do this, he failed. There’s one leader that got this done, it’s President Trump. And I can tell you, in meeting both those leaders in May, that was the secret sauce. It was President Trump and in meeting at the White House, they could bring them together and get this very important peace deal signed.
Daines on the importance of growth and stability in the Caucuses and the implications:
I think it’s important to understand not only the geopolitical significance, but what this means for oil, for gas, energy, and critical minerals, because the caucuses, as one leader described it, is the cork that uncorks the wine bottle, which is Central Asia. The countries like Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan. I’ve been in each of those five countries, meeting with each of their Presidents in the last 15 months. That’s the link from Central Asia across the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan which allows the flow of oil, natural gas, critical minerals then to go west to Europe to help allies instead of going to Russia and to China and to Iran. So this has major implications for the stability because far too long is the Russians and the Chinese and the Iranians who have had their way in that part of the world. Now we have President Trump stepping in. It’s really realigning that very important part of the world.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins