JD Vance Promotes Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace and TRIPP

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is visiting Armenia and Azerbaijan to advance a Washington-brokered peace agreement and promote the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). This corridor aims to connect Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, running through southern Armenia, and integrate the region into a wider East-West trade route. The initiative seeks to diversify energy and trade routes away from Russia and Iran, and secure U.S. access to critical minerals from Central Asia. During his visit, JD Vance held talks with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, where they signed a civil nuclear energy agreement and discussed a drone technology sale. The peace process follows decades of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Azerbaijan===Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan regained control of in 2023. The U.S. engagement signifies a shift in regional alignments, with Armenia deepening ties with the U.S. and the EU as Russia's influence wanes.