US vice president arrives in Armenia on 2-day official visit

ISTANBUL

US Vice President JD Vance arrived in Armenia’s capital Yerevan on a two-day official visit where he is scheduled to meet with the country’s premier, state media reported on Monday.

JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance’s arrival at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport was reported by Armenian state news agency Armenpress.

Earlier, the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office announced that they would arrive in Yerevan on a visit on Feb. 9-10.

“This evening, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will meet with the US Vice President, after which they will make statements,” the report added.

Separately, a US State Department media note published Saturday said that Vance's visit to Armenia, as well as neighboring Azerbaijan, on Feb. 9-11 will "advance President (Donald) Trump’s peace efforts and promote the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)."

At a trilateral summit between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Pashinyan, and Trump at the White House on Aug. 8 last year, Baku and Yerevan signed a declaration to end decades of conflict, pledging to halt hostilities, reopen transportation routes, and normalize relations.

The TRIPP project is set to link mainland Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through Armenia under the declaration.

Azerbaijan has conducted multiple shipments of domestically produced petroleum products to Armenia in recent weeks, the first of which took place in late December, as the two South Caucasus neighbors take steps to improve ties following years of conflict.