US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Armenia this week for an important visit. He traveled to Azerbaijan on the afternoon of February 10. This is part of the overall policy of the Trump administration to secure peace in various places around the world. The Caucasus provides an important opportunity for the United States to showcase its commitments. This part of the world is important because it is south of Russia and it borders Turkey and Iran.
US-Iran talks are expected to continue this week.
Vance said in Armenia that “this is one of the oldest Christian countries in the entire world; a true bedrock of Christian civilization and culture. As a devout Christian myself, I know the meaning of this country to the entire world and to the religion that the prime minister and I share.” He also posted a portion of a speech he gave in the country. “Peace is not made by people who are too focused on the past. Peace is made by people who are focused on the future... We’re creating real prosperity for Armenia and the United States together.”
In Azerbaijan, the US vice president was welcomed by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev posted on X/Twitter that he “welcomed Vice President of the United States James David Vance, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan.”
While in Armenia on February 9 and 10, the US vice president held several meetings and took part in several important events.
He met with Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and signed a historic civil nuclear agreement. According to a post on Al-Arabiya, Vance visited the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan and took part in a wreath-laying ceremony. He was accompanied by his wife, Usha. They signed a guest book at the site.
The symbolism of this trip is important. It is a rare high-level visit to Armenia. It illustrates how the Trump administration continues to do the kind of outreach that is necessary to hammer home the importance of peace.
In 2025, Pashinyan met US President Donald Trump at the White House. According to Pashinyan’s office, the two leaders signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that focused on the field of artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and energy security. “Nikol Pashinyan and Donald Trump also discussed issues related to the consistent development and expansion of Armenia-US relations,” Pashinyan’s office noted at the time.
The vice president's visit offers new opportunities for the US
The Trump administration’s push for peace follows the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that stretches back to the 1990s. The conflict, which began after the collapse of the Soviet Union, led to an enduring dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. It was part of Azerbaijan but under Armenian control and with an Armenian population. In 2020, there was a conflict between the countries in which Armenia was largely defeated. In 2023, the majority of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled the area as Azerbaijan retook it.
In the afternoon of February 10, Vance flew to Azerbaijan for the next part of his trip. Azerbaijan is a strategic partner of Israel. It is also very important for global trade and an economic powerhouse, as well as a rising military power.
Baku’s wealth from energy trade has enabled it to achieve its foreign policy goals, despite the fact that it is in a difficult neighborhood with Iran to the south and Russia to the north. Baku enjoys warm ties with Ankara, but it also wants to make its own policy decisions without being completely overshadowed by Turkey.
Vance’s visit to these two countries provides an opportunity for the United States to turn a page on these relationships.
The high-level visit, aimed at achieving a possible peace, demonstrates Washington’s commitment to that part of the world.
Vance has also had to navigate some challenges. His team appears to have deleted a post mentioning the Armenian Genocide and the vice president’s visit to the memorial site, and instead added a post about the to the site and laying flowers at the “eternal flame” there, without actually mentioning the genocide. This is apparently because Ankara denies the genocide, and Turkey is a close ally of the United States.