Comments

You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name

Your e-mail (optional)

Website (optional)

	My Original Nic Pic-a-Nic Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Foto

Submit your comments on this article

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Armenia: US vice president plants a flag in the South Caucasus

2026-02-19

[IntelliNews] Some six months after a breakthrough agreement signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan in a White House ceremony, US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Armenia on February 9-10 on the first leg of a regional visit that continues in Azerbaijan on February 10-11.

The visit by the US vice president, which stands out as the highest level US visit to Armenia, is significant in several ways. For the US, or more specifically, for the Trump Administration, the visit marks a surprisingly swift reaffirmation of the August 2025 Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project. In fact, with the signing of TRIPP, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has been a relatively easier, “low hanging fruit” for Trump.

Unlike other conflict areas that have attracted American engagement, there has been an impressive combination of political will, conflict fatigue and a rare display of statesmanship in the course of post-war diplomacy between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And in the wake of a year of unprecedented change, US engagement with both countries now benefits from a new opening and a fresh opportunity.

For Armenia, the dividends from partnering with the Trump Administration have been strategic, ranging from an avenue to resist the gravitational pull of the Russian orbit to the long-denied chance to overcome its landlocked geography and become a critical transit state.

Beyond Armenia, neighbouring Azerbaijan also sees benefits from American interest, in two distinct ways. First, the Trump Administration’s sidelining of human rights and democracy as prerequisites to partnership was a very welcome shift in US foreign policy, especially given the father-son dynastic rule by the Aliyev family in Azerbaijan, which has held power since 1993. But in more practical terms, Azerbaijan now seeks to garner American backing for its new-found role as the pivotal regional hub for trade and transport.

Moreover, with aspirations to become a gateway to Central Asia, as well as the necessity to diversify its energy-dominated economy, Trump’s vision of the South Caucasus holds significant appeal for the Azerbaijan leadership.

And turning to the now neglected third country component of the region, Georgia, it seems clear that the US will only deepen its diplomatic snub of the country. As demonstrated by the vice president’s obvious decision to skip a visit to Georgia, the Georgian government has passed the limits of American indulgence, as it escalates its defiance of its own pro-European population and continues its destruction of democracy within Georgia.

AMERICAN PROMISES TO KEEP, AND MILES TO GO
Against that backdrop, however, not everything is easy for the United States. With dangerously high expectations and little patience, most Armenians and many Azerbaijanis are now looking to the US for perhaps more than it can deliver. And this context of heightened American engagement and pronounced involvement only increases the importance of American promises.

The geopolitical aspect of these higher expectations may also turn out to be more difficult than the economic gains and profits from the TRIPP project. As the visit to Armenia and Azerbaijan plays out, it is already sending a robust message to both Russia and Iran that the US has arrived in the South Caucasus, although the local feeling may question if it here to stay.

Posted by:Skidmark

00:00