US and Armenia sign strategic partnership agreements before election

The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan, signed a strategic partnership agreement this Tuesday (26), less than two weeks before the Armenian parliamentary elections.

The meeting took place in Yerevan, the country's capital, where they also approved a framework agreement on critical minerals and another on cooperation on a proposed 43km transit corridor that will cross southern Armenia and give Azerbaijan a direct route to the territory of Nakhchevan and Turkey.

The meeting, held at Yerevan's Zvartnots International Airport during a brief layover by Rubio, takes place days before the June 7 election.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party seeks closer ties with the West. He will face a number of opposition parties, many of which are pro-Russia.

Ahead of Rubio's brief visit, the Kremlin said on Monday (25) that Armenia could lose the "very attractive" price it pays for Russian gas if it moves away from integration with Russia.

Source: CNN