US Vice President Makes Historic Visit to Armenia

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance paid an official visit to Armenia, marking the first high-level visit by a senior American official to the country and signaling a significant step forward in bilateral relations between Yerevan and Washington.

During the visit, Vance, accompanied by his wife Usha Vance, toured the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial. He was received by Edita Gzoyan, Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Zhanna Andreasyan, Armenia’s Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, and David Allen, the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim.

Gzoyan guided the Vice President and his wife through the memorial complex, providing an overview of its history and symbolism. Vance laid a wreath at the genocide memorial, placed flowers at the Eternal Flame, and observed a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

During the tour, Gzoyan explained the significance of the “Wall of Memory,” which houses urns containing soil from the graves of foreign political, social and intellectual figures, as well as missionaries who spoke out against the massacres and genocide committed against Armenians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She highlighted figures such as Henry Morgenthau Sr. and Clara Barton, noting that their efforts helped inform American society about the atrocities committed against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and that U.S. recognition of the genocide also honors their legacy.

Gzoyan also drew attention to the three khachkars (cross-stones) near Tsitsernakaberd commemorating Armenians killed in the pogroms of Sumgait, Kirovabad (Ganja), and Baku, emphasizing the historical continuity between those crimes and the Armenian Genocide.

At the conclusion of the visit, Vice President Vance wrote in the museum’s guestbook:

“In remembrance of the lives lost, we honor the resilience of the Armenian people and their unbreakable spirit. May America and Armenia strive together toward a future of peace and understanding.”

He was presented with books on the Armenian Genocide and the Artsakh issue.

Vance is the highest-ranking U.S. official ever to visit Tsitsernakaberd, following earlier visits by Hillary Clinton in 2010, Nancy Pelosi in 2022, and Samantha Power in 2023, as well as numerous members of Congress and American diplomats.

The visit came against the backdrop of longstanding U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide, with both chambers of Congress adopting resolutions in 2019, followed by formal executive recognition in April 2021 by President Joe Biden. All 50 U.S. states have also officially recognized the genocide.

Following talks between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Vice President Vance, a joint document was signed between Armenia and the United States announcing the completion of negotiations on a cooperation agreement for the peaceful use of nuclear energy. Vance stressed that Washington’s role extends beyond facilitating peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan to building “shared prosperity” that benefits Armenia, the United States, and the wider region.

He also announced an $11 million deal for the sale of U.S. drone technology to Armenia, alongside the nuclear cooperation agreement, which Pashinyan described as “opening a new chapter in the strategic partnership between the two countries.”