Trump endorses Armenia's Pashinyan ahead of key parliamentary elections

US President Donald Trump expressed support Wednesday for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his ruling Civil Contract party ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, praising him as a leader who shares his vision of peace and prosperity for the South Caucasus.

Armenians are set to vote on June 7 in the country’s first parliamentary elections since 2021, which are seen as a key test for Pashinyan amid shifting regional alliances. Voters will not only choose a new parliament, but by extension, a prime minister.

"Nikol has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election on June 7, 2026," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding the two countries would soon break ground on a transit corridor linking Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave through southern Armenia.

The corridor, known as TRIPP (the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity), was agreed on under a joint declaration signed at the White House during a summit last August by Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Trump.

"Soon, the United States and Armenia will break ground together on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which will transform the South Caucasus, and help our wonderful American Energy Companies gain access from Central Asia all the way to the United States," Trump wrote.

"With Nikol's help, we will bring the United States, Armenia, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia to greater heights than ever before," he added.

The endorsement came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to the Armenian capital Yerevan on Tuesday, where he signed a strategic partnership agreement with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, as well as a memorandum of understanding on critical minerals.

Under a framework announced in January, a US-backed TRIPP Development Company would oversee rail, road, energy and digital infrastructure along the corridor for an initial 49-year term, with the US holding a 74% stake. Armenia retains full sovereignty over all project areas throughout, according to the framework.