#Armenia and the #UnitedStates will sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement. This means that will be established the Armenia-U.S. Strategic Partnership Commission, coordinating cooperation between the two countries in areas such as economy, politics, security, and others. The outgoing U.S. administration has taken a significant step by establishing a strategic partnership with Armenia. This will undoubtedly strengthen the ties with the #USA and give the bilateral cooperation a strategic nature. The United States is also gaining a strategic partner in the South Caucasus in the form of Armenia. This means that the U.S. is obtaining a foothold to participate in regional processes and have a presence in the South Caucasus. This means that Armenia is distancing itself from Russia, replacing it with the U.S. This changes the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus. This indicates that during Donald #Trump’s administration, Armenia and the U.S. should enter a phase of strategic relations. Something tells me that just weeks ago, in Paris, Nikol #Pashinyan and Donald Trump discussed this topic, and the newly elected U.S. president also approved the idea of a U.S.-Armenian strategic partnership agreement. It is possible that Trump agreed to deepen relations with Armenia, and the Pashinyan government wants to engage with the new administration while having the strategic partnership agreement in hand. Notably, among the South Caucasus countries, #Georgia and Azerbaijan have signed strategic partnership agreements with #China. #Azerbaijan also has such a document with #Russia. This means that Baku has already aligned itself with the Russian-Chinese logic. I find it hard to imagine how Ilham Aliyev expected to establish a strategic partnership with the new U.S. administration when he has already established strategic ties with America’s rivals, China and Russia. Because Armenia has officially started the process of joining the European Union, it becomes clear that Yerevan is adopting a course of distancing itself from Russia and leaving the CSTO and the EAEU. But what is even more important is that Armenia is beginning the process of institutional integration with the U.S. and the EU. I believe that in the coming years, Armenia should strive to acquire the status of a U.S. non-NATO ally, which would elevate our country’s standing as a U.S. allied state. In this way, Armenia is demonstrating that it positions itself as a Western ally in the South Caucasus. Through its actions, Armenia is contributing to Russia’s strategic defeat in the South Caucasus. Since January 1, the responsibility for guarding the Armenian-Iranian border has passed from the Russians to Armenia. Russian border guards have been removed from Zvartnots Airport. Starting the #EU membership process means that Armenia will soon also leave the #CSTO, and the #EAEU, and remove the Russian 102nd military base from its territory. The Russians will also leave the borders with Turkey and Iran, and they will be replaced by Armenian border guards. In this way, Armenia is contributing to Russia’s strategic defeat in the South Caucasus. This path is full of dangers, but doing nothing and not aligning with the West would bring Armenia to the brink of Belarusification, which would be the destruction of our statehood. We cannot allow that. The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is already in the United States. "On January 14-15 Minister of Foreign of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to Washington, D.C. Meetings are scheduled with the U.S. colleagues, including U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Relations between the Republic of Armenia and United States in the previous year were marked by active political dialogue and valuable achievements. Particularly, on April 5, 2024 the trilateral Armenia-USA-EU meeting took place, on June 11 the capstone meeting of the Armenia - U.S. Strategic Dialogue was held in Yerevan, and outlined a vision for deepening ties to elevate the status of the bilateral dialogue to Strategic Partnership. During the session, the Foreign Minister of Armenia stressed: “The strong commitment to democratic principles is at the very core of our partnership. Our bilateral agenda continues to expand and include dimensions important for the resilience and sustainable development of Armenia. Considering the growing nature and dynamics of bilateral relations, we are hopeful to upgrade our Strategic Dialogue to a Strategic Partnership that could further enhance the structured approach to our multifaceted cooperation.” Throughout the year, engagements between Armenia and the US have been active at various levels and platforms, including through the bilateral meetings between Minister Mirzoyan and Secretary Blinken."