OPINION 

At a time of turbulence in global politics the Republic of Armenia — a small country older than Rome and smaller than the State of Maryland is trying to prove that peace and progress belong together.

A nation long known for its historic narrative of struggle, Armenia is repositioning itself as a new regional hub of peace, innovation, and partnership.

Until recently, mornings in Armenia were rarely as peaceful as those following August 8.

For over three decades, the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan — marked by recurring escalations — hindered the South Caucasus’ sustainable development.

That changed on Aug. 8 at the White House, when President Donald Trump brokered a landmark peace agreement between the two nations. No other world leader could have ended one of the post-Soviet world's longest-running conflicts.

Central to the peace accord is the TRIPP Project — the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity — a transformative infrastructure and connectivity initiative linking East and West through Armenia.

The U.S. State Department has already pledged $145 million for its first phase.

TRIPP builds upon Prime Minister Pashinyan’s Crossroads of Peace concept, which envisions Armenia’s transition from a landlocked nation to a dynamic transit hub connecting the Caspian to the Black Sea, Central Asia to Europe, and the Gulf to the North.

Armenia is not merely hoping for peace — it is constructing it, together with the United States in a strategic partnership that is anchored on shared values of Christianity, democracy, equality, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Since 301 AD when Armenia adopted Christianity as its state religion the value of Christianity has become an inseparable mark of Armenian identity and history turning Armenia into a pilgrimage destination, as late Pope Francis affirmed in 2016 calling his visit to Armenia a "pilgrimage to the first Christian country".

Our mountainous country is a home to many UNESCO World Heritage Sites which mainly represent Christian history.

The remarkable among those is the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the world's oldest cathedral and spiritual center of all Armenians across the world built in 303 AD. The name Echmiadzin means the descent of the only begotten.

In the province of Syunik, which will host the TRIPP project, one can enjoy the beauty of Tatev Monastery, located on a stunning rock formation that once functioned as a university in medieval times.

Visitors can reach Tatev via the Wings of Tatev — the world's longest reversible cableway.

The road back from Syunik Province leads to the Khosrov Forest State Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot within the larger Caucasus hotspot.

Behind it lies the monastery of Geghard, partly built inside a mountain.

The above-mentioned names of holy sites are far from the only ones — there are more than 2000 monasteries, churches, and chapels.

However, the connection between Armenia and the U.S. goes beyond religion.

In 1773 a group of Armenian intellectuals published the first Armenian Constitution called "Snare of Glory' which was inspired by the same Enlightenment ideal that influenced America's Founders — individual liberty, civic duty, and the balance between faith and reason.

Armenians were like FedEx of the Early Modern Age who formed one of the most sophisticated trade networks in the world, linking London, Paris, Amsterdam and Venice with Persia, India, and China exchanging not only goods, and currencies but also innovative ideas.

This spirit is present now In Yerevan — the capital city where ancient stone churches meet glass-walled offices of the world's top companies like NVIDIA, Microsoft, Synopsys, AMD, Oracle, Adobe, IBM, Dell and many others.

These companies have played a key role in shaping Armenia's tech ecosystem.

However, it's important to emphasize that the new Memoranda of Understanding on artificial intelligence, semiconductor innovation, and energy cooperation marks a new era for U.S. investment and technological innovation in Armenia and emphasizes diversification through nuclear small modular reactors and renewable energy, as well as improvements in grid infrastructure and security.

A new generation of independent Armenians — fluent in both code and collaboration—has led the nation’s tech revolution, turning IT into a cornerstone of the economy and contributing nearly 8% of GDP.

Without this thriving ecosystem, American giant NVIDIA could hardly have announced its ambitious joint project with Firebird to establish Armenia's first AI factory — a $500 million supercomputing center, the largest in the Caucasus, designed to empower American and regional innovation in AI research.

Philosopher Immanuel Kant once wrote, "Armenians have a commercial spirit of a particular kind that forms links between East and West."

That same spirit continues to contribute also to American society today — from Los Angeles to Boston, New York to Nevada — through Armenian-American entrepreneurs, scientists, and innovators who excel in every field.

Behind these modern initiatives lies a philosophical concept known as "Real Armenia," put forward by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

This ideology views the homeland not as a nostalgic memory but as a living, democratic state — the Republic of Armenia — where faith, sovereignty, rule of law, and civic duty are intertwined.

It is an inclusive philosophy that embraces Armenians of all denominations — Apostolic, Catholic, Evangelical — and invites the global Armenian community to actively contribute to their homeland's progress.

Despite many challenges, Armenia remains a fighter for peace and cooperation, building supercomputers instead of fortresses, trade routes instead of trenches, and a future where peace is the very foundation of sustainable development.

This may well be the region's next miracle — and one thing is clear: this miracle will not be inscribed on a stone or written on a paper but written in code.

H.E. Narek Mkrtchyan, PhD, the Ambassador of Armenia to the United States, is a historian and former government minister.