The US State Department has published the memoranda signed between the US and Armenia and the US and Azerbaijan.
The documents stem from a historic summit between US President Donald Trump, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Washington in August, which resulted in the initialling, but not the signing, of a peace agreement.
The memorandum between the US and Azerbaijan entailed the creation of ‘a strategic working group focused on three areas:
- Regional connectivity, including energy, trade, and transit;
- Economic investment, including Artificial Intelligence and digital infrastructure; and
- Security cooperation, including defence sales and counterterrorism cooperation’.
In addition, it established that the US and Azerbaijan would ‘collaborate in a number of areas, including but not limited to the following:
- Expanding energy investment and regional connectivity infrastructure;
- Building stronger defence and counterterrorism cooperation;
- Advancing regional economic and trade cooperation; and
- Developing Artificial Intelligence partnerships and digital infrastructure investment’.
The period of operation for the memorandum was set for one year, which would be subject to extension if both parties agreed.
On the other hand, the agreements between the US and Armenia consisted of three separate documents. In addition, while the duration of the primary memorandum on the ‘Crossroads of Peace Capacity Building Partnership’ was also set for one year, the agreement added that mutual cooperation is expected to continue for an additional three years.
In particular, the agreement stipulated that ‘the participants intend to respond to Armenia’s infrastructure and border security priorities, including:
- Encouraging private sector investment;
- Increasing efficiency of customs control and border security cooperation and capacity building, including to combat illicit trafficking and smuggling;
- Facilitating the exchanges of best practices between the US Department of Homeland Security and the Armenian Border Guard Troops of the National Security Service and State Revenue Committee; and
- Strengthening cyber security best practices and capacities’.
The areas of cooperation were identified as being the following:
- ‘Enhancing Armenia's border security through training, US government resources, and best practices from US Department ofHomeland Security Customs and Border Protection;
- Increasing investment on cyber defence operations; and
- Promoting investment to modernise Armenia’s infrastructure as well as the border security sector.
The other two memoranda pertained to an ‘AI and Semiconductor Innovation Partnership’ and an ‘Energy Security Partnership’.
Both additional documents were also set for a duration of one year, with the cooperation expected to continue on for another three years.
Nate Ostiller
