U.S. and Armenia sign Strategic Partnership Commission charter at State Department

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Aarat Mazoyan signed a Strategic Partnership Commission charter at the U.S. Department of State, establishing a framework for expanded cooperation on economic, security and democratic-justice issues.

The charter, officials said during the signing, covers economic matters, security and defense, democracy and justice, inclusion and people-to-people exchanges. "We're establishing our U.S. Armenia Strategic Partnership Commission," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. "This commission gives us a framework to expand our bilateral cooperation in a number of key areas." Blinken added that the two sides have expanded cooperation on energy and are "poised to begin negotiations on a 123 agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation."

Foreign Minister Aarat Mazoyan said the charter "provides a robust framework and injects greater ambition into our cooperation," and thanked the United States for support for Armenia's independence, sovereignty and efforts to strengthen democratic institutions. Mazoyan also said Armenia intends to "join the Global Coalition to defeat ISIS," adding that the country will participate alongside other members to address international terrorism.

Officials at the signing described additional cooperative steps the charter sets in motion: a U.S. customs and border patrol team will travel to Armenia in the coming weeks to work on border-security capacity building; the partners will continue bilateral exercises such as the Eagle Partner training series; and formal negotiations on a 123 nuclear cooperation agreement will begin to establish rules for peaceful nuclear collaboration under safety and nonproliferation standards. "We are increasingly strong partners," Blinken said, saying the charter will contribute "to a more resilient, a more peaceful, a more secure, a more independent South Caucasus."

The State Department also noted that it recently presented an anti-corruption award to a member of the Armenian justice sector; Secretary Blinken described the award as recognition of reforms and anticorruption efforts in Armenia. The signing was ceremonial and did not involve a public vote or legislative action by either government.

Next steps cited at the event include the formal start of negotiations on the 123 agreement, the planned U.S. border-security team visit to Armenia, and Armenia's announced intent to join the coalition against ISIS. No timetable beyond "in the coming weeks" was provided for those items in the remarks recorded at the signing.