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During a visit to Washington, D.C. on February 5, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that Armenia hopes “to open a new page in relations with the United States.” This hope was in reference to the Charter of Strategic Partnership between Armenia and the United States signed on January 14 to strengthen bilateral relations. The signing of the charter occurred just days before the last administration left the White House.
Although Armenia’s next parliamentary elections are not scheduled to take place until mid-2026, many analysts and political commentators believe the pre-election campaign period has already started. The first sign was arguably in November when Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reprimanded and replaced several officials. A month earlier, a survey by the International Republican Institute (IRI) indicated that only 16 percent of respondents trusted his leadership. Only 20 percent said they would vote for his Civil Contract party if elections were held that weekend.
The areas covered in the charter include economic and energy cooperation, defense and security, democracy and human rights, and cultural and education exchanges. It also came soon after the Biden administration decided to suspend a Strategic Partnership Charter between the United States and Georgia signed in 2009. This followed the contested parliamentary elections on October 26, 2024, and ongoing protests in Tbilisi.
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No sooner had the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership Charter been signed than Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced that his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, would visit Moscow for talks for the first time since November 2023. Armenian analysts considered this a response to the charter. They believed Moscow sought clarification on Yerevan’s intentions. Mirzoyan called the talks with Lavrov “frank and constructive.”
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For the Armenian government, further improving ties with the European Union and the United States could boost Pashinyan’s chances in the upcoming parliamentary elections next year. Even if Iran says it is not concerned by the new agreement, Tehran’s ambassador to Yerevan, Mehdi Sobhani, has since announced that Armenia and Iran are also working on a comprehensive strategic partnership. Pashinyan recently met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, which, according to one Armenian political analyst, left a “bleak impression.”
At the end of February, Armenian media stressed the precariousness surrounding the new administration in the United States by noting that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection team had still not arrived. Officials claim it has not been canceled. However, plans for a cyber-security laboratory have been suspended in the current 90-day freeze of USAID assistance worldwide. Armenia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that “no program or action stemming from the partnership is currently envisaged”. While the new charter has provided conditions for positive bilateral relations between Armenia and the United States, Armenian officials appear uncertain about the next steps in bilateral relations.
The full analysis is available here.
