Armenia signs strategic partnership with US ahead of elections

Armenia has solidified its pivot towards the West by signing a strategic partnership agreement with the United States, a move that bolsters ties as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan navigates a challenging electoral landscape. The deal, signed in Yerevan, aims to enhance cooperation in critical minerals and establish a vital transit corridor, signaling a significant step in Armenia's foreign policy realignment.

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This agreement marks the biggest step to date on making this historic route a reality, on advancing peace, and on increasing prosperity in Armenia and frankly in the region.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan inked the agreement, which includes a framework for critical minerals and cooperation on a transit corridor. This corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), is envisioned to traverse southern Armenia, providing Azerbaijan with a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and onward to Turkey. Rubio emphasized the agreement's potential to advance peace and prosperity in Armenia and the wider region.

Pashinyan's pursuit of closer ties with the US and Europe has strained relations with Russia, Armenia's longtime security and economic partner. Moscow has signaled potential repercussions, including increased gas prices, if Yerevan continues its integration with Western countries. Armenia's shift towards the West intensified following the 2023 conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Russia, despite its alliance with Armenia, did not intervene militarily during Azerbaijan's offensive.

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I wish to reaffirm that the comprehensive strategic relations between our two nations are stronger than ever.

The US administration, under President Donald Trump, has framed its relationship with Yerevan primarily in economic terms, seeking concessions in areas like critical minerals. The agreement grants the US a significant stake in the development company for the transit corridor, explicitly pledging benefits for American companies. This economic engagement is seen as a key method for binding the two nations together, complementing the recent strengthening of diplomatic and military ties, including joint military drills held last year.

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We are laying the groundwork for the sort of economic engagement that allows Armenians to make money and find prosperity and Americans to do the same and to do it together, which is one of the strongest ways to bind nations with one another.