Disappointment in Washington: Armenian PM leaves US empty-handed No one remembered the charter

The much-publicised four-day working visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the United States, which concluded on February 7, has clearly failed to meet the Armenian government's inflated expectations, especially in light of the recently signed Strategic Partnership Charter. In Washington, the Armenian prime minister had to settle for meetings with pro-Armenian congressmen and senators Roger Wicker, Andy Harris, Richard Hudson, and Frank Pallone.

Pashinyan’s trip has yielded little success, as even Armenian media acknowledge. The newspaper Hraparak reports that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump immediately rejected a request for a meeting with the Armenian prime minister. According to the publication, similar refusals came from U.S. National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

The newspaper notes that Armenia’s Foreign Ministry and its ambassador to the U.S. made extensive efforts to secure high-level meetings for Pashinyan in Washington, reaching out to various institutions in the hope of arranging at least one. However, the only interaction Pashinyan managed was an informal conversation with U.S. Vice President James Vance. The Armenian expert community has expressed disappointment, pointing out that the meeting did not take place in an official interstate format, lacked a proper ceremonial photograph, featured no Armenian state symbols, and may have even been captured on a phone.

Given all these nuances, it is evident that the Armenian prime minister’s rendezvous in Washington has failed to advance Armenian-American cooperation. It is clear that Nikol Pashinyan’s main goal during this visit was, so to speak, to “test the waters” and explore the possibility of translating the formally documented Armenian-American strategic agreement into practical action. And judging by the fact that a one-on-one meeting in the Trump-Pashinyan format never materialised, there is little doubt that the Armenian leader will return to Yerevan without much optimism regarding the promotion of Armenian interests in U.S. policy.

Whether Armenia’s leadership will be able to establish a favourable line of relations with the new White House administration remains uncertain. One can only assume that Pashinyan is relying on the considerable influence of the Armenian diaspora, which ranks among the five most powerful in the U.S. A telling example of this is the following fact.

During Donald Trump's first term (2017), then U.S. Vice President Mike Pence appointed Armenian-American Ken Nahigian as responsible for the transition process of the Trump-Pence administration. During Trump's election campaign, Ken Nahigian's brother, Keith, even served as an advisor to the future Republican president.

In September 2024, The National Interest published an article by Anna Ohanyan and Nerses Kopalyan titled "Armenia and the U.S. Election”. The article highlighted concerns within the Armenian diaspora in the U.S. regarding the potential victory of Donald Trump in the November 2024 presidential election.

The publication hinted that if Donald Trump wins the election, the current U.S. support for Armenia will cease. However, if Kamala Harris wins, even while maintaining relations with Azerbaijan, the U.S. might deepen cooperation with Armenia, staying loyal to the current course.

Now that Trump is leading the White House, it has become clear that U.S. state policy will be driven solely by America's own interests. Armenia does not fall into this category, and the hastily signed declaratory document between Mirzoyan and Blinken is not the most convincing argument for the current White House administration. This has already been confirmed by Pashinyan's unsuccessful visit to Washington.