In the next three months, we have a historic opportunity to help free Armenian hostages imprisoned in Baku and ensure international recognition of the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The nomination period for the Nobel Peace Prize closes on January 31, 2026.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize, could be considered for the 2026 award, and Armenians may choose to support his nomination. In fact, more than 45 Armenians around the world could be eligible to nominate him.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is effectively obstructing Donald Trump’s potential path to a Nobel Peace Prize by refusing to release Armenian hostages, and denying the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Aliyev’s actions contradict the policies Trump advocates: On August 8, 2025 The U.S. and Armenia signed memorandums of understanding reaffirming America’s commitment to protect Armenia against Azerbaijani threats. Though the agreement did not mention the hostages, Trump publicly declared—before Prime Minister Pashinyan in the Oval Office—that he was committed to freeing the “Christians imprisoned in Baku.” He added that if he asked President Aliyev to release them, “Aliyev would not refuse.”
On September 25, 2025, the U.S. State Department confirmed in a letter to Congress that the Trump Administration was committed to encouraging both sides to allow the return of ethnic Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh within a framework of sustainable peace.
Meanwhile, Aliyev himself has said Trump “deserves the prize” and would nominate him. But the Nobel Committee cannot even consider Trump’s candidacy unless Azerbaijan first releases the Armenian hostages and acknowledges the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh’s people who were victims of Azerbaijan genocidal policies.
On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched a military attack[1] on Nagorno-Karabakh,[2] ethnic cleansing the entire Armenian population from their ancestral lands. On September 23, 2023, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, alerted a risk of genocide against the ethnic Armenian from Nagorno-Karabakh. [3] The International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ordered Azerbaijan to ensure that all “persons who wish to stay are free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee”[4]. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated that “all those arbitrarily detained in Azerbaijan, including ethnic Armenians, must be released immediately,”[5]
President Aliyev insists to cover up the crimes. Last year, during the COP 29 campaign, 6,500 Armenians from 120 countries stood together online to expose Aliyev’s attempt to brand his summit as a “COP of Peace” while denying his crimes. Our collective truth-telling changed the narrative, most of western leaders declined to participate, and Aliyev himself complained publicly about our campaign at the opening session.
Now, we must act again and mobilize the Armenians worldwide.
Let’s launch a new global campaign—a campaign for peace, truth, and justice—focused on one clear message:
If Aliyev truly wants to support Trump Nobel Peace Prize, he must:
- Release all Armenian hostages held in Baku;
- Sign a peace agreement with Armenia and withdraw his troops;
- Accept international protection for the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
You can support or oppose Trump’s candidacy: the campaign would inevitably expose Aliyev’s behaviour.
Only Aliyev could allow that Trump’s role in ending a century-old conflict be considered by the Nobel Committee.
Join the Campaign
Let’s unite under three hashtags:
🔹 #NobelPeacePrize
🔹 #FreeArmenianHostages
🔹 #RespectNagornoKarabakhRights
Use them to share your voice, your thoughts, and your commitment to truth and peace discuss, post, and engage every day until end of January. Every Armenian voice matters.
Throughout the campaign, we will:
- Explain how the Nobel Peace Prize nomination process works;
- Explore precedents—from Kissinger to Begin to Arafat;
- Examine Trump’s 2025 nomination by law professor Anat Alon-Beck;
- Engage Trump supporters and critics;
- Consult with over 45 Armenian figures eligible to nominate candidates;
- Share insights from Nobel experts
- Provide updates on the US led peace negotiations,
- Follow the EU positions,
- The trials against the hostages in Baku
- The request to the UN Working Groups and Special Rapporteurs.
Together, we can transform awareness into action and action into results.
[1] Reuters, Azerbaijani forces strike Armenian-controlled Karabakh, raising risk of new Caucasus war, 19 September 2023.
[2] President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev addressed the nation, 20 September 2023.
[3] Special Adviser Nderitu stated “on September 22, 2023, Military action …put the civilian population in the area at risk of violence, including risk of genocide and related atrocity crimes.” UN Press Release, Statement by Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, on the situation in Armenia and Azerbaijan (September 22nd, 2023)
[4] International Court of Justice (ICJ), “Order of 17 November 2023”, 17 November 2023. The website has been archived: Archive 1, [consulted on 15 September 2025].
[5] United Nations Human Rights. Office of the High Commissioner, “Turbulence and unpredictability amid growing conflict and in divided societies, Türk tells Human Rights Council”, 3 March 2025. The website has been archived: Archive 1, Archive 2. [consulted on 14 September 2025].
