Why is Vance visiting Armenia and Azerbaijan? – Deutsche Welle

The US vice president is visiting Azerbaijan and Armenia as Washington seeks to expand its influence in the South Caucasus, a region where Russia has traditionally been the main power broker, but has seen its influence wane since it launched the war in Ukraine, Deutsche Welle writes.

Part of Vance’s trip is consolidating a US-brokered peace process that was seen as a major step towards ending decades of war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Before the meeting with Aliyev on Tuesday, Vance said the issue of Armenian separatist leaders imprisoned in Azerbaijan on war crimes charges was “certainly going to come up” during talks with Azerbaijani leaders.

Vance also drew controversy after he deleted a post on X stating that he and his wife Usha Vance were “at the Armenian Genocide memorial to honor the victims of the 1915 Armenian genocide.”

Vance’s office said the post was published in error by staff who were not part of the delegation.

Vance’s Caucasus trip is also expected to advance a transport communications project, dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP).

Washington is presenting TRIPP as a confidence-building measure for regional peace, and Azerbaijan has said the opening of regional communications is an important precondition for signing a comprehensive peace treaty with Armenia.