WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance will travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan in February, President Donald Trump said on Friday, with the intention to “build on” recent peace efforts.
Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US-brokered agreement in August to end a decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan most recently took over in 2023.
“I want to thank President Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Pashinyan of Armenia for honoring the Peace Agreement we signed last August,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“In February, Vice President Vance will travel to both Countries to build on our Peace efforts, and advance the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity,” he said, referring to a transit corridor created as part of the agreement.
The corridor through Armenia connects Azerbaijan, which is to its east, to its Nakhchivan exclave to the west.
The agreement gives the United States development rights to the corridor.
Trump said the United States would “strengthen our strategic partnership with Azerbaijan, a beautiful Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation with Armenia” and organize “Deals for our Great Semiconductor Makers.”
He also mentioned “the sale of Made in the USA. Defense Equipment, such as body armor and boats, and more, to Azerbaijan.”
The US State Department said this month Armenia would give the United States a nearly three-quarters stake in the development of the corridor, an agreement Secretary of State Marco Rubio hailed as a “model for the world.”
Rubio met with Azerbaijan’s foreign minister this week and commended the country’s recent shipments of fuel to Armenia as evidence of a “continued commitment to the historic peace deal,” the State Department said.
Trump says Vance to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in February
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Trump says Vance to visit Armenia and Azerbaijan in February
- Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a US brokered agreement in August to end a decades-long conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region
Portugal storm death toll climbs, 450,000 without power
- Storm Kristin brought heavy downpours and strong winds, reaching speeds of up to 178kph, on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday
LISBON: Storm Kristin has claimed five lives and left nearly 450,000 clients without power on Thursday, more than 24 hours after it barreled through central and northern Portugal, authorities said.
The storm brought heavy downpours and strong winds, reaching speeds of up to 178kph, on the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
The fifth victim, whose death was announced on Thursday, was a 34-year-old man who died in the center of the country “as a result of the severe weather,” according to civil protection officials, who did not provide details.
Almost 450,000 customers were still without power early Thursday, mainly in the center of the country, according to E-redes, the electricity distribution network operator.
The majority were in the Leiria district in central Portugal where the storm knocking down poles and high-voltage lines.
Rail services remained suspended on several lines, including Lisbon to Porto, according to the state-owned rail company.
Several schools in the central part of the country remained closed.
Firefighters in Leiria responded to dozens of calls Thursday morning related to minor flooding and damage to roofs, regional official Ricardo Costa told the Lusa news agency.
“Residents are calling for help because it’s still raining, although not very heavily, but it’s causing significant damage to homes,” he added.
The Portuguese government said the storm had “caused significant damage across several parts of the country.”
