Ambassador Kvien addressed members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia (AmCham Armenia) to outline U.S. policy priorities and highlight growing opportunities for partnership with the business community.
Ambassador Kvien emphasized the major milestones of the August 8 Peace Summit in Washington D.C., including progress toward peace and the launch of TRIPP, which opens a new era of connectivity, trade, and opportunity for Armenia and the region.
Reaffirming our vision for a strong bilateral relationship and Armenia’s role as a regional leader, new initiatives in energy security, advanced technology, border modernization, and investment will drive shared prosperity.
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Ambassador Kvien’s Remarks: American Chamber of Commerce in Armenia (AmCham) Policy Speech | The Role of the August 8th Peace Summit in Unlocking Armenia’s Potential
Good afternoon, it’s wonderful to see you all here today. Thank you for the opportunity to join you to discuss the historic progress we have made in U.S.-Armenia relations over the past year.
Let me start with the headline: U.S.-Armenia relations are deeper and stronger than at any time in our history.
Let me start in January 2025, when the United States and Armenia launched a Strategic Partnership, a significant elevation in the scope and ambition of our bilateral relationship.
In U.S. diplomacy, Strategic Partnership status is reserved for those countries we consider close friends and partners. It provides a framework and mechanism to guide our bilateral relationship and is an indication that we are engaging a country as an equal to advance mutual benefits.
But our strategic partnership was only the first step of our progress this year.
Under President Trump’s visionary leadership, we have made strides in our bilateral ties and regional peace and stability that even a year ago would have seemed impossible.
The August 8th Peace Summit in Washington D.C., hosted by President Trump and joined by Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev, marked an inflection point in our relationship from which there is no turning back.
Through bold and creative diplomacy, our respective Administrations have succeeded in advancing solutions to challenges that have prevented progress for decades. This progress will benefit countries from Central Asia to Western Europe. But no country stands to benefit more than Armenia.
At the historic August 8 Summit, Armenia and Azerbaijan initialed the agreed-upon text of a bilateral Peace Agreement. The United States strongly supports the signature and ratification of this agreement and will continue to engage to achieve this goal.
Importantly, Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev also signed a joint declaration, formally initialed by President Trump as a witness, that affirms the inviolability of international borders consistent with the 1991 Almaty Declaration, and the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory. This commitment should not only lighten the burden of fear among Armenian citizens but assure global investors of a stable and expanding business environment in Armenia.
The Joint Declaration also establishes the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity project. TRIPP’s commitment to reciprocal benefits for Armenia will open trade routes and re-connect Armenia to the global market. TRIPP not only advances regional interconnectivity, it allows Armenia to choose among an array of partners for imports, exports, and joint ventures. This freedom of choice means Armenia can negotiate the most favorable arrangements in every aspect of commerce, benefitting Armenian business and Armenian consumers.
Also, on August 8th President Trump signed three Memoranda of Understanding with Armenia, each laying out a vision for our bilateral relationship and Armenia’s role as a regional leader.
The MOUs have two primary areas of focus – business and security – which in many aspects are mutually reinforcing. I am pleased to report that we are already making significant progress on implementing these Memoranda.
The first MOU establishes a comprehensive bilateral energy security partnership.
Its purpose is to enhance Armenia’s energy resilience while modernizing and expanding its energy production. A key aspect of Armenia’s energy security is its civil nuclear capabilities. That’s why the United States and Armenia are currently negotiating what is known as a “123 agreement,” which will enable the United States to export civil nuclear technology to Armenia.
This agreement will facilitate cooperation as Armenia seeks to transition from the Metsamor nuclear reactor to a modern, flexible system.
U.S. leadership in the modern nuclear power industry provides numerous opportunities for Armenia to secure its nuclear safety and energy independence in the future.
Our energy security partnership also opens the door to Armenia’s diversification of energy sources, grid modernization, and reliable energy access for businesses and communities.
The second MOU focuses on securing semiconductor supply chains and advancing artificial intelligence development.
These efforts will help create high-skilled jobs and expand Armenia’s robust innovation ecosystem. They will position Armenia as a regional leader in advanced technology.
By securing supply chains, we can help insulate Armenia’s tech sector from global disruptions, ensuring reliability and growth.
One exciting development under this MOU is the recent announcement that the U.S. Department of Commerce has issued an export license for U.S. technology that will be used by Firebird, an American AI company that has announced an initial $500 million investment in Armenia, in partnership with U.S. companies Dell and NVIDIA.
This project would make Armenia a regional leader in advanced compute infrastructure and support the integration of smart technologies into manufacturing, logistics, and public services, making Armenia a hub for digital innovation in the region.
The third MOU is dedicated to improving Armenia’s border security and transportation infrastructure, in support of Armenia’s Crossroads of Peace initiative.
As a first step toward implementation, we recently welcomed a delegation of U.S. Customs and Border experts to conduct a baseline assessment of Armenian customs and border controls that will guide further cooperation.
For businesses, streamlined customs procedures and modern infrastructure translate directly into reduced delays and lower costs.
We are also committed to working together to strengthen Armenia’s cyber security and defense, and have already welcomed several groups of experts to share best practices and capacities.
Our work on transportation infrastructure is starting with TRIPP, but is not limited to it. As normalization with Turkiye and Azerbaijan advance, we are ready to support Armenia’s full integration into East-West commerce channels.
Another implementation achievement is the recent U.S. announcement of $145 million in new assistance funding for Armenia. The bulk of these funds will go toward advancing the TRIPP project and enhancing border security and management.
We are now working with the Armenian government to establish the structures that will develop and implement the TRIPP and MOU visions.
The first structure is two intergovernmental working groups that will guide MOU and TRIPP implementation. These working groups are established, and will have their inaugural meeting by the end of the year.
The second is a U.S.-Armenia entity that will manage TRIPP planning and construction. We are working through the legal elements of this unique entity and look forward to updates on progress soon.
In addition to all of the opportunities created by our recent agreements, I want to add that for the business community, we are not limited to these lines of effort.
I urge AmCham members to engage and explore the opportunities created by our new partnership and come to us with new ideas.
As members of the business community, you are critical to realizing our shared vision and transforming Armenia into a hub of East-West commerce.
The U.S. embassy stands ready to work with you to realize the full potential offered by our impressive progress in 2025.
The time to seize the momentum of the past year is now. I look forward to working with each and every one of you to make 2026 even more impactful.
Thank you, Shnora Kalutsoon.
U.S. Embassy Yerevan