Marco Rubio and Ararat Mirzoyan Sign US-Armenia Strategic Partnership Charter in Yerevan

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a strategic partnership charter in Yerevan on Tuesday, less than two weeks before Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary elections.

“Armenia has signed a strategic partnership agreement bolstering ties with the United States, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan faces a challenge from pro-Russia parties in the country’s upcoming election in June”

Al Jazeera

The agreement also included a framework on the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)” corridor, described as a 43-km (27-mile) transit link across southern Armenia that would give Azerbaijan a direct route to its exclave of Nakhchivan and into Turkey.

Al Jazeera

Reuters reported that Rubio and Mirzoyan signed the partnership as Russia threatened to raise prices Armenia pays for Russian gas if Yerevan turns away from integration with Moscow.

Rubio said at the signing ceremony, “We are going to be able to work together to make sure that both of our countries, both of our economies, have reliable access to these critical minerals,” tying the deal to critical minerals cooperation.

The corridor is linked to a peace framework reached last August between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with no formal comprehensive peace deal signed, Reuters said.

The U.S.-Armenia partnership was framed by Reuters as a move to insulate Yerevan from Russian economic pressure ahead of the June 7 vote, with the election pitting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party against pro-Russian opposition parties.

Reuters also reported that Russia this week banned imports of Armenian flowers, mineral water, and brandy, while threatening to hike the prices Armenia pays for Russian natural gas.

Anadolu Ajansı

Rubio said at the signing ceremony at the Yerevan airport, “This agreement marks the biggest step to date on making this historic route a reality, on advancing peace and on increasing prosperity—in Armenia, and, frankly, on the region,” according to Anadolu Ajansı.

Ararat Mirzoyan said of the relationship, “I wish to reaffirm that the comprehensive strategic relations between our two nations are stronger than ever,” as Al Jazeera reported.

Al Jazeera added that the U.S. State Department framework for the transportation corridor grants the U.S. a 74 percent share in the “TRIPP Development Company,” with an explicit pledge to benefit U.S. companies.

Beyond the charter, the sources describe a critical-minerals memorandum and a transit-corridor framework that would oversee rail, road, energy and digital infrastructure along TRIPP for an initial 49-year term.

“Politics16:56, 26 May 2026 Armenia, U”

Armenpress

Anadolu Ajansı reported that under the framework announced in January, the U.S. would hold a 74% stake while Armenia retains full sovereignty over all project areas throughout.

SOVA reported that after the parties initialed a framework agreement on strategic cooperation on the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) project, they also signed the Charter on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and a framework memorandum on securing supplies in the extraction and processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements.

Caucasian Knot said the TRIPP route would connect mainland Azerbaijan with its exclave of Nakhchivan through a section of southern Armenia (Syunik/Zangezur province) and then continue north (Azerbaijan, Georgia) and west (Turkey).

Caucasian Knot also reported that the length of the Armenian section is estimated at 27 miles (or 42 kilometers), and that the route is expected to be integrated with the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR).