WASHINGTON, August 7. /TASS/. The US may get exclusive development rights to a transit corridor through the South Caucasus as part of an agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Reuters reports, citing sources.

US President Donald Trump will meet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday. Reuters' sources say the two are expected to sign a framework aimed at reaching a "concrete pathway to peace" and addressing a long-simmering transit issue. According to the sources, Armenia plans to award the United States exclusive special development rights for an extended period on a transit corridor that will be named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. The officials noted that the route would be operated according to Armenian law and the US would sublease the land to a consortium for infrastructure and management.

The Washington Post reported earlier, citing White House sources, that Trump would meet with Aliyev and Pashinyan on August 8. According to the newspaper, the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders may announce a peace agreement.

The Armenian government confirmed that Pashinyan would visit Washington to meet with Trump and Aliyev. Azerbaijan’s state news agency, in turn, reported that Aliyev had arrived in the US for a working visit.

Transit corridor

The corridor in question, which runs through Armenia’s Syunik Region, connects Azerbaijan’s mainland with its Nakhchivan enclave. It is called the Zangezur Corridor in Azerbaijan.

US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack said earlier that Washington could take over the area under a 100-year lease.