US Vice President’s visit order lowers expectations on prisoner issue – Robert Margaryan

The US Vice President’s two-day regional visit began today. First, he will come to Armenia, and then proceed to Azerbaijan. According to political analyst Robert Margaryan, the order of this visit creates a certain disappointment in expectations for resolving the issue of prisoners of war.

Speaking with Alpha News, Margaryan noted that if the visit had taken place in the opposite order—first to Azerbaijan and then to Armenia—it might have been possible to expect some progress in the return of prisoners of war through the Vice President’s involvement.

“Since the visit begins in Armenia, the perception that there could be some outcome in this matter is now partly fading,” he said.

At the same time, Margaryan emphasized that the visit itself is extremely important.

“Throughout the entire period of Armenia’s independence, this can be considered the highest-level visit in terms of Armenian-American relations from the perspective of the executive branch. Yes, in the past US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi have visited Armenia, but a Vice President’s visit is exceptional and opens a new chapter in Armenian-American relations,” he stressed.