By Alexander Pracht
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone conversation to discuss the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership and regional issues, the Armenian government reported Tuesday. Rubio stressed the significance of the strategic partnership agreement that was signed earlier under the Joe Biden administration, reaffirming Washington’s commitment to deepening ties with Yerevan.
Pashinyan briefed Rubio on Armenia’s negotiations with Azerbaijan, emphasizing that the draft normalization agreement has been finalized and is awaiting signature. The two officials agreed to maintain high-level dialogue between their countries.
In its readout, the U.S. State Department said that both sides shared the view that any escalation in the South Caucasus is unacceptable. Rubio described the developments in normalization negotiations between Yerevan and Baku as an opportunity to turn the page on decades of conflict, and that now is the time for both countries to sign and ratify the agreement.
The strategic partnership agreement referenced in the conversation was signed earlier in January. Antony Blinken, the U.S. State Secretary at the time, emphasized that this partnership “will contribute to forming a more resilient, peaceful, and independent South Caucasus.” He noted that the agreement strengthens U.S.-Armenia cooperation in four key areas: economic ties, security and defense collaboration, democratic development, and people-to-people exchanges.
A notable component of the agreement is the upcoming negotiations for a “123 Agreement,” which will establish a legal framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation, including the transfer of nuclear materials, equipment, and technology under strict security protocols. This agreement could potentially pave the way for the United States to construct a nuclear power plant in Armenia and supply nuclear fuel for it. This issue is particularly relevant given that Metsamor, Armenia’s only nuclear power plant, currently uses Russian nuclear fuel and relies on Russian maintenance services, with its service life expected to end in 2036.
On security matters, Blinken announced that a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol team would visit Armenia in February to assist with capacity-building efforts, however, this did not happen, and the future of customs cooperation between the nations remains uncertain.
The signing of the agreement came just days before the end of the Biden administration, with uncertainty over how President-elect Trump may approach U.S. policy in the South Caucasus and the broader region.
Tigran Grigoryan, Director of the Yerevan-based Regional Center for Democracy and Security, commented on the significance of these recent interactions. He noted that Rubio has actively engaged with the issue since taking office and pointed out that “in his prior discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, he also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.” According to Grigoryan, this suggests “a degree of continuity between the previous and current administrations in their approach to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.”
However, he cautioned that it is still too early to fully assess the new administration’s policies and level of engagement in the South Caucasus. Grigoryan also highlighted Baku’s recent geopolitical maneuvering, stating that “Azerbaijan, with Israeli support, is actively playing the anti-Iran card to highlight its strategic importance to the Trump administration.” The effectiveness of this strategy, he noted, “remains to be seen.”
Many Armenians hope Rubio’s influential position could lead to deeper U.S. support for Armenia; however, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has hailed Trump’s election as being good for his country instead. The first Trump administration was not supportive of Armenian issues, taking actions such as using his influence in the Senate to reject attempts to recognize the genocide of 1915, increasing military aid to Azerbaijan, and doing little to stop the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Thus, whether there will be any change in those policies is yet to be determined.
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