Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday praised President Donald Trump's role in advancing peace efforts and said he hopes the American leader will be awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize as he also emphasized the importance of Vice President JD Vance's recent engagement with Armenia as a step toward deeper bilateral ties.
"After the Washington Peace Summit, [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev and I nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize through a joint letter. I have great hope that the U.S. president will rightfully be awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize," Pashinyan said in remarks in Armenia during a joint press conference with Vance.
Pashinyan also pointed to Vance's visit as a milestone in relations between Yerevan and Washington, calling it "a key step towards institutionalizing peace and expanding the Armenia-United States strategic partnership."
Vance landed in the Armenian capital on Monday — a country no sitting U.S. vice president or president previously visited — as the Trump administration offered economic opportunities while working to advance a U.S.-brokered deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict with Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan said the visit reflected a shared interest in strengthening cooperation and building long-term frameworks for engagement.
The Armenian leader's comments come as his government continues to pursue closer ties with the U.S. amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the South Caucasus. Armenia has increasingly emphasized diplomacy and international partnerships as central to its foreign policy and security strategy.
While Pashinyan did not provide details on specific agreements or initiatives stemming from Vance's visit, he suggested the discussions marked progress toward more structured and sustained cooperation.
He said institutionalizing peace requires consistent dialogue and formal mechanisms rather than short-term or symbolic gestures.
U.S.-Armenia relations have drawn increased attention in recent years as Armenia navigates regional tensions and seeks broader international backing.
Washington has positioned itself as a partner backing dialogue, democratic reforms, and regional stability, though U.S. officials have generally described their role as supportive rather than prescriptive.
By linking Vance's visit to the broader goal of institutionalized peace, Pashinyan framed high-level U.S. engagement as a substantive component of Armenia's long-term strategic outlook.
He suggested that sustained cooperation with Washington could help anchor peace initiatives within durable diplomatic and political structures.
The prime minister said Armenia remains committed to expanding its strategic partnership with the U.S. and expressed optimism that continued high-level dialogue would lead to tangible diplomatic and political outcomes in the years ahead.
Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado presented her Nobel medal to Trump in January as a symbolic gesture of appreciation for his role in supporting the Venezuelan opposition and broader peace efforts, though the Norwegian Nobel Committee reiterated that the prize cannot be transferred and Trump is not officially a laureate.
Machado compared the presentation of the medal to a historic diplomatic gift, framing it as a sign of gratitude for what she described as Trump's "extraordinary leadership in promoting peace," and Trump said he would keep the medal as a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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