RPA vice-chairman: Washington wants to take Armenian molybdenum from  EU

ArmInfo. The Vice Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia drew the attention of the public, and in particular the opposition, to several problematic aspects of the three documents signed in Yerevan by RA Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, expressing hope that  the opposition will raise these issues in its election campaign.

As a reminder, during the visit, a comprehensive strategic  partnership charter, a framework memorandum on the extraction and  processing of critical minerals and rare earth elements, and the  initialing of a framework agreement on strategic cooperation under  the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP)  project were signed.

In this regard, Ashotyan, in his video address, called for setting  aside all geopolitical and diplomatic aspects of the US Secretary of  State's unplanned "lightning" visit to Armenia and focusing on the  aforementioned documents, which have escaped public attention,  especially from the opposition. The RPA Vice Chairman, in particular,  pointed to the framework memorandum on the extraction and processing  of critical and rare earth minerals, to which the US attaches great  importance. In this matter, Washington's goal is not even to displace  Moscow and Beijing, but rather the countries of the European Union.  It is well known that Armenia's main mineral is molybdenum, which  accounts for 7% of the world's total reserves, and the EU countries  are its main consumers. Essentially, in accordance with the signed  document, Yerevan commits to selling its mineral resources primarily  to the US, not the EU. "Thus, Washington wants to take Armenian  molybdenum away from the EU. This circumstance, at first glance, is a  paradox of this document," the politician said.

He also pointed to the signed charter on the comprehensive strategic  partnership, which is an interesting document in itself, as the Biden  administration had previously signed a similar agreement with the  Armenian side. The new document is comprehensive in nature. A textual  analysis reveals some differences between the first and second  documents. Specifically, the latter document contains references to  the Washington summit on August 8, 2025, nuclear reactors, and other  matters, which were not included in the agreement with the Biden  administration. This means the new agreement is more specific. "But  that's not the point. The point is that the Donald Trump  administration likes to tweak the Biden administration's initiatives,  turning them into 'unprecedented,' but don't let the word  'comprehensive' mislead you, as in this case, we're talking about  merely a cosmetic change in wording.  Apart from two or three  specific areas, there are no other significant changes," said Armen  Ashotyan, adding that the term "comprehensive" implies cooperation in  the areas of security and defense. Meanwhile, the document contains  no specific hints.  Under the term "comprehensive," the United States  assumes no obligations to defend Armenia, other than the opportunity  to acquire American weapons through a complex scheme. "This document  will have virtually no impact on the security and defense of the  Armenian state, nor are there any guarantees for its security," the  RPA deputy chairman emphasized, adding that there were minor  references to cybersecurity. The United States also expressed  gratitude to Armenia for its participation in peacekeeping missions  in several countries, a process that, according to Ashotyan, began  during the presidency of Serzh Sargsyan, the third president of the  Republic of Armenia. Ashotyan also noted that American weapons are  among the most expensive in the world, if not the most expensive.

Regarding the third document-the agreement on strategic cooperation  under the TRIPP project-the politician emphasized that it clearly  poses very serious threats to Armenia. First and foremost, it  concerns the fact that the Armenian-American project could easily  become an Armenian-American-Azerbaijani one. The new document, Armen  Ashotyan continued, no longer prohibits the parties from reselling  shares in the joint venture being created, where the United States  currently owns 74% and Armenia 26%.  Moreover, the agreement outlines  mechanisms for the sale or transfer of a portion of the shares. "All  of this increases our concern that the project will not be solely an  Armenian-American one. It is clear that the new document, with the  consent of the parties, could transfer some of the shares to a third  party, with Turkey and Azerbaijan at the forefront," the RPA  vice-chairman noted. He also did not rule out the possibility of  Turkish-Azerbaijani firms appearing in Armenia as subcontractors for  the project, to whom TRIPP would grant certain powers.

Armen Ashotyan noted that all three documents are nothing more than  Washington's support for RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who is  selling out his homeland to the US for his own PR. The US, however,  is not to be blamed; they are simply taking advantage of the  opportunities available to them.