Vance: US working to make Azerbaijan–Armenia peace deal "stick" South Caucasus, Greenland, Board of Peace

US Vice President JD Vance said Washington will continue efforts to strengthen peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, speaking to journalists at the conclusion of his visit to Armenia on February 10.

Vance told reporters before leaving Armenia that the United States sees economic cooperation as a key pillar for sustaining any peace agreement and confirmed that he would travel next to Azerbaijan as part of the diplomatic effort, Caliber.Az reports. 

“We're excited to go on to Azerbaijan from here. Obviously, the president, you know, part of striking peace is actually the first step. But part of the keeping the peace is what we're doing today, which is building upon it, making sure that we have the economic interference between Armenia and Azerbaijan, that's necessary to make the peace deal stick.” Vance said.

He added that fostering economic ties between the two South Caucasus nations would help strengthen long-term regional stability. Expressing confidence in the process, Vance said he believed the groundwork laid by President Donald Trump was producing results.

“I feel very good about where we are. I think the president [Trump – ed.] started a great peace deal and I think the administration is really making it stick,” he noted.

Greenland and Arctic security

Turning to Greenland, the vice president said discussions were still at an early stage but emphasised the territory’s strategic importance to US national security. He argued that some US allies had not sufficiently invested in Arctic security, placing a greater burden on Washington.

“It is very early in the Greenland talks. We've been working quite a bit on this over the last few weeks but it's just very simple: Greenland is very important to the national security of the United States of America. I do think that some of our allies have underinvested in Arctic security,” he noted. 

He reiterated concerns about allied investment levels in the Arctic and suggested that future negotiations would focus on ensuring tangible benefits for the United States if it assumes greater responsibility for regional security.

“And if we're going to invest in Arctic security, if we're going to basically pay a lot of money and be on the hook for protecting this massive land mass, I think it's only reasonable for the United States to get some benefit out of that and that's going to be the focus of the negotiations here over the next few months,” he added.

Board of Peace 

Vance also commented on the first meeting of the Board of Peace, which  is scheduled for February 19 in Washington.

“And I do think the Board of Peace is really going to be a new archetype for how to create and maintain peace in the 21st century. As important as the United Nations is, as the president of the United States has said, the United Nations very often, it hasn't lived up to its full potential,” Vance said.

He added that the Board of Peace aims to help secure sustainable peace in Gaza and the broader Middle East, while also creating long-term diplomatic infrastructure capable of supporting durable peace agreements worldwide.

By Sabina Mammadli