ArmInfo. During J.D. Vance's visit to Yerevan, the American side attempted to push Russia out of Armenia's nuclear energy sector, writes the Czech newspaper iDNES. The author of the article doesn't hide his joy at this, but fails to mention that the US is imposing untested, and therefore dangerous, technologies on the South Caucasus republic.
Nikol Pashinyan is confident that nuclear friendship with the Americans, peace with Azerbaijan, and the opening of borders with Turkey will help him win the parliamentary elections in July, the publication writes.
The Trump administration, the article notes, is skillfully exploiting the fact that Armenia is approaching a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. Donald Trump claims the main credit for the reconciliation. Although he can't pronounce the word "Azerbaijan," it was decided to name a transport corridor leading through southern Armenia in his honor.
The main loser is Russia. <...> The nuclear agreement at the beginning of Vance's three-day visit to the South Caucasus republics is the latest sign of Russia's weakening position in the South Caucasus.
Rosatom tried to resist at the last minute. Recently, its head, Alexei Likhachev, met with the speaker of the Armenian parliament and proposed "comprehensive cooperation" in the construction of a new reactor. It didn't work out. No one in Armenia paid any attention to his proposal, even though American modular reactors loom in the very distant future. Nevertheless, Pashinyan has long made it clear that the construction of new nuclear capacity is "not a matter of money, but of national security."
The agreement with the US establishes a legal framework for the export of American technology, fuel, and services to Armenia. It also opens the door for American companies to bid for contracts to replace the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant with small modular reactors. "This is a classic win-win situation for both Armenia and the United States," Vance stated with satisfaction in Yerevan.
