Biden Praises Pashinyan's Courage in Choosing Peace Over Politics, Urges Final Agreement with Azerbaijan, and Promises U.S. Support

In a move towards promoting stability in the South Caucasus, U.S. President Joe Biden has sent a letter to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, encouraging Armenia and Azerbaijan to finalize a peace agreement. Biden emphasized the importance of securing Armenia’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, stating that such an agreement would have a transformative impact on the entire region.

The letter comes as both Armenia and Azerbaijan are making progress in normalizing relations following decades of tension, much of it centered around the invasion of indigenous Armenian territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In his message, President Biden expressed optimism about the ongoing peace talks, while also offering the United States’ full support in achieving a lasting and dignified peace.

"I am pleased to see that your nation and Azerbaijan have made steady progress towards finalizing a peace agreement that would normalize relations between your two countries," Biden wrote. He assured Pashinyan that the U.S. is ready to back an agreement that would secure peace for Armenia and lead to stability in the broader South Caucasus region.

Biden stressed that a peace agreement would not only protect Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity but also bring long-awaited security to the Armenian people. Such a resolution, he suggested, could reshape the geopolitical landscape of the South Caucasus, a region long affected by conflict.

The U.S. president acknowledged that finalizing the peace agreement will not be easy and will require persistence, ingenuity, and compromise from both sides. However, he praised Pashinyan’s commitment to peace, noting that the Armenian Prime Minister has consistently chosen diplomacy over conflict. "Putting patriotism above politics, you have courageously and consistently chosen the path of peace," Biden said, urging Pashinyan to continue this approach and finalize the agreement by the end of the year.

Biden also highlighted that his administration is ready to take "bold initiatives" to help facilitate the peace process. He mentioned that Michael Carpenter, his Senior Director for Europe, would be in touch with Pashinyan to brief him on the steps the U.S. is willing to take and to gather feedback from Armenia on the ongoing discussions with Azerbaijan.

The letter comes at a critical time for the region, where tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have led to multiple conflicts over the past decades. Most recently, Azerbaijan launched a full-scale war that lasted 44 days in 2020 over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, resulting in significant loss of life and the forced displacement of thousands of Christian Armenians, who are indigenous to those lands.

Biden’s call for peace aligns with the broader goals of the United Nations, where world leaders, including Pashinyan, gathered in September to reaffirm their commitment to peace and security. "As we were reminded last month at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, now is the moment to recommit to the United Nations Charter and its fundamental principles of peace," Biden stated.

He ended the letter on a hopeful note, expressing his desire to work with Pashinyan to seize the opportunity for a brighter future. As the peace talks continue, Biden’s support signals a strong international push towards securing a stable and peaceful South Caucasus, a region with significant geopolitical importance.

For Armenia, a peace agreement comes at a great cost, as nearly 120,000 Armenians are now homeless due to the Azerbaijani invasion of Nagorno Karabakh (also known as Republic of Artsakh). Azerbaijani troops continue to occupy sovereign Armenian territories, while a human rights crisis persists with dozens of Armenian prisoners of war still held in Baku prisons. Additionally, ongoing Armenophobia and weekly threats of further invasion from Azerbaijan continue to emerge from Baku.