Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who has deepened ties with the United States, faces a challenge from pro-Russian parties in upcoming parliamentary polls.
Published May 26, 2026
Armenia has signed a strategic partnership agreement to strengthen ties with the United States as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces a challenge from pro-Russian parties in the country’s elections scheduled for June.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also signed a framework on Tuesday for cooperation on critical minerals and transit corridors in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.
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“This agreement is the biggest step yet in realizing this historic route, advancing peace, and increasing the prosperity of Armenia and frankly the region,” Rubio said at a signing ceremony at Yerevan airport.
The 43-kilometer (27-mile) corridor, called the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), will cross southern Armenia and provide Azerbaijan with a direct route to the enclave of Nakhchivan and Turkiye, a close ally of Baku.
Mr. Pashinyan has sought closer ties with the United States and Europe, angering longtime ally Russia. The Russian government has said that if Armenia continues to pursue further integration with the West, it could raise the price of gas it receives from Russia.
Armenia has historically been a close security and economic partner of Russia, but after the 2023 conflict in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region, Yerevan began to look toward an alliance with the West.
Russia, which is waging its own war in Ukraine, did not intervene militarily when Azerbaijan launched a major military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which has a large Armenian population and has been de facto independent since the 1990s.
Last year, the United States and Armenia conducted joint military exercises for the first time.
Regarding relations with the United States, Mirzoyan said on Tuesday: “I would like to reaffirm that the comprehensive strategic relationship between our two countries is stronger than ever.”
The administration of US President Donald Trump has focused its relationship with Yerevan primarily on economic terms, seeking concessions in areas such as key minerals.
“We are laying the foundation for the kind of economic engagement that will allow Armenians to make money and find prosperity and for Americans to do the same and do it together. This is one of the most powerful ways to connect nations to each other,” Rubio said Tuesday.
The US State Department’s framework for transportation corridors, part of the peace agreement signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan last August, also explicitly promises to benefit US companies, giving the US a 74 percent stake in the TRIPP Development Company.
