The State Department, for one hour, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Armenia

After completing his four-day visit to India, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio decided to visit Armenia for an hour (literally). Without leaving the territory of “Zvartnots” airport and not wishing to go to the city, the head of the State Department signed the framework agreement on Trump’s intended route through Syunik region (TRIPP) with RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan in the VIP hall. At a press conference after the signing, Rubio called the document “the biggest step to date to bring this historic route to life.”

It is known that the so-called “Trump route” (TRIPP) is intended to connect the main territory of Azerbaijan to the exclave of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic through the Syunik Marz of Armenia. Yerevan and Baku agreed to create a route through the mediation of US President Donald Trump in Washington in August 2025, while initialing the peace agreement.

“The president is extremely proud not only of TRIPP […] but of all the other projects we continue to implement,” Rubio said, adding that they “lay the foundation for an economic partnership that will allow Armenians to make money and prosper, and Americans to do the same.”

“And you, and the Prime Minister, and your entire team here in Armenia, are paving the way to a brighter and independent future of Armenia,” the high-ranking American guest continued to encourage the interlocutors. Rubio and Mirzoyan also signed the strategic partnership charter, and the Armenian minister stated that Armenian-American relations are “stronger today than ever”.

“It will not be an exaggeration to say that we have entered a historically unprecedented stage, taking into account the frequent events taking place on our bilateral agenda,” he was quoted as saying by local news agencies. The document, the text of which was published on the RA MFA website, reaffirms the importance of bilateral relations and the desire to deepen cooperation in various fields, including diplomacy, economy, energy, high technologies, education, science, culture, law, defense and security.

In addition (and this is much more important), the heads of the foreign affairs departments of Armenia and the United States signed a memorandum on the extraction of rare minerals, which, according to Rubio, “are necessary for all these technologies and innovations. Countries that can do this will be able to gain economic independence and be at the center of innovation in the 21st century.” Rubio left Armenia shortly after, ending a visit that lasted just over an hour.

France Presse notes: Armenia was historically an ally of Russia until “Moscow was unable to prevent Azerbaijan’s blitzkrieg in 2023”, resulting in the eventual reconquest of the separatist Karabakh region.

Since then (and actually even earlier), Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has frozen Armenia’s membership in the Russian-led CSTO military alliance and expressed interest in joining the European Union, much to the displeasure of the Kremlin.

Armenia was balancing on the border until the US and Israel began aggression against Iran, which had long maintained friendly relations with Yerevan. Armenia has assured Iran that the TRIPP corridor will remain under its sovereignty, not the US.

At the same time, the French media paid attention to the fact that within the framework of the agreement on joint work between Washington and Yerevan in the field of rare minerals signed on the 26th of the month, it is actually a key priority not only for the USA, but also for China. The Celestial Empire dominates the field of rare earths and, just as importantly, has the necessary technology to mine them. It is not excluded that the reference to China’s interests is not accidental, hinting at the prospects of turning Armenia, as well as the entire Caucasus, into another field of confrontation between the United States and China.

Back in April, US Deputy Ambassador to Yerevan Andrew Johnson, during a special event organized for geologists, discussed The topic of mining prospects in Syunik marz. “The USA considers Armenia’s geological and mining potential as a strategic asset. With transparent and sustainable development, it can stimulate economic growth, support regional stability and create opportunities for future generations. We are ready to support those efforts.”

For the Trump administration, forcing rare mineral development deals on “Third World” partners is standard colonialism. is practice: Rare countries are considered an extremely promising branch, and it is important for the Americans to follow the most promising directions in order to have more arguments in the dialogue with the Armenian government, regardless of the results of the June parliamentary elections (although the Trump administration’s sympathy is clear):

Moreover, the negotiations on the details of the cooperation may last for years, and the results may not justify the initial expectations. American scholar Suren Sargsyan կարծիքով՝ Pashinyan and his team use any contact with officials across the ocean for the election campaign. “The authorities will do everything to exploit the visit of the Secretary of State for their own PR campaign.”

However, the White House will support any government in Yerevan that is willing to advance American interests, and the visit is primarily needed to reinforce the Trump Route project and increase pressure on their neighbor south of Arax.

Yuri Blackish

vpoanalytics.com

Թարգմանությունը՝ Jeanne Avetisyan

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