US-Armenia Sign Strategic Deal Ahead of Election

Armenia has signed a strategic partnership agreement with the United States as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces an election challenge from pro-Russia parties. According to multiple reports, the deal was signed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Yerevan on Tuesday.

The agreement includes a framework for cooperation on critical minerals and a transit corridor dubbed TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity). The 43-km corridor would traverse southern Armenia, providing Azerbaijan with a direct route to the exclave of Nakhchivan and into Turkey. Rubio described the agreement as 'the biggest step' toward advancing peace and prosperity in the region.

Pashinyan has sought closer ties with the US and Europe, drawing criticism from longtime ally Russia. The Guardian reports that Pashinyan's Civil Contract party is campaigning on a platform of diversified foreign policy, aiming to turn Armenia into a strategic crossroads connecting Europe with Central Asia, India, China, and other regions.

Russia has warned Armenia could lose the 'very attractive' price it pays for Russian gas if it continues to pursue Western integration. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that such preferential pricing is not available to participants in other integration frameworks. The Guardian notes that early polls show Civil Contract may win, despite oversaw two successive military defeats at the hands of Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan's opponents accuse him of betrayal by conceding too much to Azerbaijan and warn that if he is re-elected, Armenia could become a 'province' of either Russia or Azerbaijan. The election campaign promises to be contentious, with Pashinyan facing at least three pro-Russian nationalist parties.