Why is this important?
As Vance said at a joint press conference with Pashinyan, the negotiated agreement once finalized will open a path to “$5 billion in initial U.S. exports and long-term support through fuel and service contracts worth $4 billion.” The text of the agreement has not been published yet, but it was expected that it would include, among others: fuel supplies from the USA to the only nuclear power plant in Armenia and technology transfer from the USA. So far, the uranium used in the power plant came from Russia.
In addition to nuclear cooperation, Vance and Pashinyan announced an agreement to purchase reconnaissance drones worth $11 million. and Nvidia's AI chips.
What agreement did the US vice president announce in Armenia?
What support did the vice president express for Armenia?
What debts and long-term support are provided for in the contract?
What is the vice president planning after his visit to Armenia?
The vice president also announced his support for Pashinyan's party in the parliamentary elections scheduled for June, praising the prime minister as America's trusted partner. He also emphasized that Armenia is close to him as one of the oldest Christian countries. Vance is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Armenia.
What about the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
— President (Donald) Trump knows perfectly well that the best way to ensure peace is to establish real deterrence. (…) And for the first time, we are announcing a major sale of military technology – surveillance drone technology worth $11 million – to the Armenians and our good friend, the Prime Minister. He will use this to ensure the security of his country and to make sure that the peace we are building will last, Vance said, referring to the peace declaration signed at the White House between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
After visiting Yerevan, the vice president will go to Azerbaijan. His visit to the Caucasus is aimed at finalizing the preliminary peace agreement signed by the leaders of both countries at the White House in August last year. Its key element is to be the creation of TRIPP (Trump's Trail for International Peace and Prosperity), an international transport corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan. In Trump's vision, this project is to attract American investments to Armenia, which was initially against the construction of the corridor.
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