Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan hosted the final meeting of the US-Armenia Strategic Dialogue in Yerevan on June 11, which was attended by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien.
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The joint statement released after the meeting indicated that Armenia and the US discussed the current progress in deepening bilateral relations and formulated a vision for enhancing ties in the coming year. The parties stated that this vision would be detailed in a memorandum of understanding, which would elevate the status of the bilateral dialogue to a strategic partnership commission.
During the meeting, Armenia and the USA positively assessed their cooperation in supporting ongoing reforms and democratic progress in Armenia. They also acknowledged Armenia's desire for closer cooperation with Euro-Atlantic structures and the West. Additionally, the sides discussed expanding cooperation in energy security, sanctions, export control, and security issues.
“Capstone meeting participants acknowledged the important role of U.S. assistance to Armenia’s defense transformation and law enforcement development initiatives, which the United States intends to continue to support through advisory programs, military-to-military contact activities, professional military education opportunities through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program, and the long-standing State Partnership Program with the Kansas National Guard,” the statement said.
Additionally, the United States intends to continue providing assistance to Armenia to support refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh.
“underscores our deepening bilateral partnership with #Armenia. Our discussions focused on democratic development, economic diversification, defense reforms, and Euro-Atlantic cooperation,” Assistant Secretary Jim O'Brien stated after the meeting.
Armenia's rapprochement with the West accelerated in 2023 after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Russia and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (ОДКБ) of inaction during the Nagorno-Karabakh war. In 2023, Armenia joined the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin. In February 2024, it became known that Armenia "froze" its participation in the CSTO, and in May, it stopped funding it.
