Senator Steve Daines stated during the recent “The U.S. and the South Caucasus: Uncovering New Strategic Opportunities” forum in Washington that Armenia and Azerbaijan have "shaken off the yoke of Russian coercion."
He noted that all U.S. peace initiatives aimed at resolving the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, from President George H. W. Bush’s term onward, had failed, according to Aravot.am .
“However, the situation changed when the Trump administration made peace in the region one of its foreign policy priorities,” Daines remarked.
According to him, President Donald Trump’s administration set out to achieve peace in the South Caucasus, and since the beginning of the year, members of the U.S. President’s team have been working with the conflicting sides.
Daines emphasized that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine diverted President Vladimir Putin’s attention and Russian resources to the West, creating an opening for greater American involvement and influence in the South Caucasus.
He said Armenia and Azerbaijan have “cast off the yoke of Russian coercion” and are pursuing “an independent future through partnership with the United States.”
On August 8, a trilateral meeting took place at the White House with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. A joint declaration summarizing the results of the talks was signed. During the meeting, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in the presence of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the U.S., pre-signed an agreement titled “On the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
