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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened talks Tuesday in Armenia, a former Soviet republic historically aligned with Russia that has increasingly sought closer relations with the West.
Rubio arrived in Yerevan for a brief refueling stop on his return from India and immediately began talks at the airport with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.
The United States and Armenia are expected to sign cooperation agreements during the visit, according to the State Department.
Armenia has long been one of Russia’s closest allies in the South Caucasus, but ties deteriorated after Moscow failed to prevent Azerbaijan’s 2023 military operation that restored control over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Since then, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government has frozen Armenia’s participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military alliance and signaled interest in joining the European Union.
Armenia has also sought to balance its regional position during the conflict involving the United States, Israel and neighboring Iran, which has traditionally maintained cordial ties with Yerevan.
At a White House summit in August, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to renounce territorial claims against each other and refrain from the use of force.
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The Trump administration has also backed a proposed road and rail corridor linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave, which is separated from the mainland by Armenian territory.
The proposal has raised concerns in neighboring Iran, although Armenian officials have repeatedly stated that the territory would remain under Armenian sovereignty.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance visited Armenia and Azerbaijan in February as part of efforts to advance the peace process.
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