U.S. and Armenia sign strategic partnership charter; Armenia announces intent to join anti‑ISIS coalition and begin 123 nuclear talks

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan signed a U.S.–Armenia strategic partnership charter at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., a ceremony that both officials said will deepen cooperation on economic ties, security, democracy and people‑to‑people exchanges.

“This marks a significant milestone in the relationship between the United States and Armenia,” Secretary Blinken said, adding that “we're establishing our US Armenia strategic partnership commission. This commission gives us a framework to expand our bilateral cooperation in a number of key areas.”

The charter sets out a wide-ranging framework for closer cooperation across economic, security and democratic institutions, the two officials said. In remarks at the signing, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan described the document as “a robust framework” that raises bilateral ambition and provides a roadmap for future cooperation on energy, connectivity, defense, rule of law, high technology and people‑to‑people ties.

Blinken highlighted several near‑term initiatives tied to the new partnership. He said a U.S. customs and border protection team will travel to Armenia in the coming weeks to work with Armenian counterparts on border security capacity building. He also noted ongoing bilateral defense cooperation — including the Eagle Partner training exercise carried out in recent years — and said the United States is supporting efforts to strengthen Armenia’s ability to secure and manage its borders.

Both officials announced two further items tied to the partnership: Armenia’s intention to join the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the start of negotiations on a “123” agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation. Mirzoyan said the 123 agreement will provide a framework for cooperation in “the peaceful use of nuclear energy” under high standards of safety, security and nonproliferation.

Blinken framed the planned 123 talks and coalition participation as extensions of shared priorities. “This is genuinely a milestone,” he said, saying the nuclear discussions underscore mutual commitment to nonproliferation while opening avenues for cooperation on nuclear energy, science and technology. He also praised Armenian progress on domestic reforms related to justice and law enforcement and referenced a recent U.S. anti‑corruption award presented to an Armenian justice official (recipient name not clearly specified in the remarks).

The signing formalizes the U.S.–Armenia Strategic Partnership Charter and launches a commission intended to oversee and advance the items enumerated in the charter, officials said. The State Department readout at the event described the charter as a mechanism to strengthen civilian, economic and security ties and to promote a “more resilient, more peaceful, more secure” South Caucasus.

No legislative votes or binding multilateral commitments were announced at the ceremony; several of the items noted — including joining the Global Coalition and negotiating a 123 agreement — were described as intentions or the start of formal talks rather than completed legal commitments. Officials did not provide a timetable or detailed funding commitments for the border security work or the 123 negotiations at the ceremony.

Speakers at the event emphasized cooperation and mutual interests in regional stability. The signing concluded with the two ministers executing the charter at the State Department; a departmental staff member announced the signing on the record at the close of the ceremony.