Analyst reveals 'real motives' behind Pashinyan’s Washington trip

Political analyst Suren Sargsyan claims that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Washington from February 3-7 is not primarily about attending the International Religious Freedom Summit and the National Prayer Breakfast, as officially stated.

"Pashinyan has never shown particular interest in faith or religion. Moreover, his delegation includes Arsen Torosyan, who is also not known for religious beliefs. This suggests that the events are merely a pretext and the visit has different motives," Sargsyan wrote on Facebook.

He believes the real motives behind the visit are:

1. Understanding Trump’s foreign policy: Pashinyan needs clarity on whether he can count on U.S. support under Trump and whether his administration will provide the same economic, financial and political backing as Biden’s administration.

2. Assessing the U.S. stance on the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization talks: He needs to gauge Washington’s willingness to continue mediating peace deal negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

3. Securing support for the so-called Crossroads of Peace project: Pashinyan wants to know if the U.S. is interested in backing his regional project.

4. Exploring U.S. mediation efforts for Armenia-Turkey normalization: He seeks to understand whether Washington will continue facilitating the normalization of relations between the two countries.

5. Evaluating U.S. policy on Iran and Russia: This will help Pashinyan determine how much room he has to maneuver in relations with these countries.

6. Assessing the stance on U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership: Pashinyan aims to understand the priorities of the new administration.

7. Preventing U.S. pressure on Azerbaijan: He will attempt to dissuade Washington from pressuring Baku or reinstating Section 907 restrictions, a topic actively discussed in Baku.

Sargsyan noted that Armenia’s leadership was confident of the Democratic Party’s victory in the U.S. elections and this "urgent" visit reflects the need to adjust their strategy.