Trump-Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting will be at Armenia’s expense, don’t expect anything good – Grigor Balasanyan

International affairs expert Grigor Balasanyan believes that Pashinyan and Aliyev will not sign a “peace agreement” in the US under Donald Trump’s mediation. The government confirmed today that Pashinyan will meet Trump in Washington on August 7-8, followed by a trilateral meeting with Aliyev and Trump aimed at promoting peace, prosperity, and economic cooperation in the region.

“This trilateral meeting will come at the expense of Armenia’s interests, since Trump is a businessman first, then a president. He’ll calculate which country offers more economic benefit, and in this case, Aliyev has much more to offer than Armenia. If the issue of the ‘Zangezur corridor’ is raised, the American side will prioritize its own interests. Trump isn’t genuinely interested in signing a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. What he wants is a memorandum of intent that he can present at the White House as a historic achievement led by the US. Trump’s real interest lies in the Armenia–Iran border, due to long-term plans with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding Iran. Therefore, I doubt any serious agreements or breakthroughs will result from the meeting,” Grigor Balasanyan told Alpha News.

The expert believes that Yerevan and Baku are still far from even a preliminary peace agreement, emphasizing that Baku’s demands are increasing daily.

“Trump is extremely vain. Of course, he will enjoy being portrayed in the international press as a peacemaker, but that’s not the whole story. Trump heard about copper-molybdenum mines in Zangezur, which involve Russian capital. That’s a great chance to strip Russia of assets and make money. If he can combine the useful with the pleasant—make money and close the Armenia–Iran border to help Netanyahu and gain favor with the Jewish lobby in the US—then why wouldn’t he?” Balasanyan said, adding that the Armenian public should not expect positive outcomes from Trump’s mediation.

“Don’t expect anything good from this meeting. At best, Armenia should avoid making promises and prepare for the worst, because a peace deal brokered by Trump will not benefit Armenia or the Armenian people,” the expert stressed.