Armenia Embarks on Historic Diplomatic Visit by US Vice President Vance Amid Tense Regional Dynamics.
In a move seen as significant, US Vice President JD Vance landed in Armenia's capital city Yerevan on Monday, marking the first-ever visit by a sitting US vice president or president to this Eastern European nation. The trip comes as Washington seeks to solidify its efforts to broker a lasting peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
As part of his four-day mission, which began after a family vacation in Milan's Winter Olympics, Vance met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan - the key architect of a US-brokered agreement aimed at resolving a decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The treaty, although signed by foreign ministers, remains pending ratification by both parliaments.
The historic visit has also been seen as part of the Trump administration's broader regional strategy. Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev are among five world leaders to join Donald Trump's new Board of Peace, a group aimed at fostering dialogue on global conflicts - including the Gaza ceasefire plan. A high-stakes meeting of this board is scheduled for later this month in Washington.
At the heart of Vance's Armenia visit lies a major transit corridor dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, intended to connect Azerbaijan with its disputed exclave Nakhchivan. The long-stale conflict over Karabakh has seen periodic escalations since 1994, resulting in thousands fleeing their homes.
Despite the complexities surrounding this decades-long regional struggle, US Vice President Vance's presence in Armenia underscores the significance of this visit and the efforts to push forward on a fragile peace process - one that may yet alter the dynamics at play across Eastern Europe.
In a move seen as significant, US Vice President JD Vance landed in Armenia's capital city Yerevan on Monday, marking the first-ever visit by a sitting US vice president or president to this Eastern European nation. The trip comes as Washington seeks to solidify its efforts to broker a lasting peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
As part of his four-day mission, which began after a family vacation in Milan's Winter Olympics, Vance met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan - the key architect of a US-brokered agreement aimed at resolving a decades-long conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The treaty, although signed by foreign ministers, remains pending ratification by both parliaments.
The historic visit has also been seen as part of the Trump administration's broader regional strategy. Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev are among five world leaders to join Donald Trump's new Board of Peace, a group aimed at fostering dialogue on global conflicts - including the Gaza ceasefire plan. A high-stakes meeting of this board is scheduled for later this month in Washington.
At the heart of Vance's Armenia visit lies a major transit corridor dubbed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, intended to connect Azerbaijan with its disputed exclave Nakhchivan. The long-stale conflict over Karabakh has seen periodic escalations since 1994, resulting in thousands fleeing their homes.
Despite the complexities surrounding this decades-long regional struggle, US Vice President Vance's presence in Armenia underscores the significance of this visit and the efforts to push forward on a fragile peace process - one that may yet alter the dynamics at play across Eastern Europe.