Vance visits Armenia, a nation never before visited by a sitting US president or vice president
Vice President JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday, marking the first visit by a sitting U.S. vice president or president to the country, as the Trump administration seeks to offer economic incentives while supporting a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at resolving a long-standing conflict with Azerbaijan.
Vance met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to sign an agreement advancing negotiations on a civil nuclear energy project. He also announced plans for U.S. exports of advanced computer chips and surveillance drones, along with investment in Armenian infrastructure. The visit follows an August agreement at the White House between Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in which both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a peace treaty. While the treaty’s text has been initialed by foreign ministers, it has yet to be signed or ratified by either country’s parliament.
“Peace is not made by cautious people,” Vance said, noting he plans to travel to Azerbaijan on Tuesday. “Peace is not made by people who are too focused on the past. Peace is made by people who are focused on the future.” The August agreement includes the creation of a transit corridor, dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenian territory.
The corridor had been a key obstacle in resolving the decades-long conflict over the Karabakh region, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh. Ethnic Armenian forces controlled the area from 1994 until a six-week war in 2020 allowed Azerbaijan to regain parts of the region. A 2023 military campaign fully restored Azerbaijani control, prompting most of the region’s 120,000 Armenian residents to flee to Armenia.
During the visit, Vance expressed support for Pashinyan ahead of upcoming elections and highlighted Armenia’s status as one of the world’s oldest Christian nations. Pashinyan thanked Trump and Vance, calling the visit “of truly historic and symbolic importance” and a reflection of the strong strategic partnership between Armenia and the United States.
Vance and his wife, Usha, arrived in Yerevan after spending four days at the Winter Olympics in Milan with their family. They were welcomed with a red carpet, an honor guard, and a delegation of officials, while Armenian and American flags lined the streets. A small group of demonstrators gathered along the route, including one holding a sign reading, “Does Trump support Devils?”
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