Day: May 28, 2026

Azerbaijan without dictator Ilham AliyevJAMnews (@JAMnewsCaucasus)‼️”Make (Armenia) Great Again!” – Trump backs Pashinyan ahead of Armenia election in rare foreign endorsement

US President Donald Trump has publicly endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan ahead of the country’s parliamentary election on 7 June, offering unusually explicit support for a foreign leader days before voters go to the polls.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump described Pashinyan as “a great friend and Leader” who was making Armenia “strong, wealthy, and very secure”. He also praised the Armenian prime minister’s regional agenda and backed his re-election bid in unusually direct terms.

“For these reasons, Nikol has my COMPLETE and TOTAL Endorsement for Re-Election on June 7, 2026,” Trump wrote, using language he frequently deploys in US domestic politics. He added: “Nikol completely shares my vision of PEACE and PROSPERITY for Armenia and the entire South Caucasus region.”

Trump linked his support to growing ties between Washington and Yerevan, pointing to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit to Armenia earlier this week, during which the two countries signed a series of agreements on strategic partnership, critical minerals and the so-called Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a transit initiative intended to reshape regional trade links.

“Soon, the United States and Armenia will break ground together on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which will transform the South Caucasus,” Trump wrote.

The endorsement comes less than two weeks before Armenia’s parliamentary election, which is widely seen as a vote on the country’s geopolitical direction. Pashinyan’s governing Civil Contract party is competing against several opposition alliances, many of which favour closer ties with Russia.

Long regarded as one of Moscow’s closest allies in the South Caucasus, Armenia has moved closer to the West under Pashinyan, particularly since Azerbaijan regained control of Karabakh in 2023. Relations with Russia have deteriorated as Yerevan accused Moscow and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization of failing to provide adequate security guarantees.

Trump’s backing also comes amid growing pressure from Moscow. This week, Russia warned Armenia it could suspend preferential agreements on gas and energy supplies if Yerevan continued pursuing closer integration with the European Union.—  https://x.com/JAMnewsCaucasus/status/2059946309331603670

— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) May 28, 2026

It’s been more than 40 days since President Trump called for a meeting between Netanyahu and the Lebanese president Joseph Aoun in a bid to establish peace between the two nations.

Netanyahu accepted such a meeting. Yet Lebanon’s president has repeatedly refused, despite Rubio and Trump personally calling him and asking him to get on a call with Netanyahu to set up such a meeting.

Aoun’s critics now ask whether he’s trying to achieve peace with Israel at all, arguing that if he were, he would fly to Israel, shake hands with Netanyahu, recognize Israel, and ask for help in countering Hezbollah.

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 28, 2026

RT  @DNormanFCDO: Müstəqillik Günün mübarək, Azərbaycan!
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— Emin Bred (@emin_bred) May 28, 2026

🇫🇷 Scenes from Lyon, France, during Eid al-Adha.

A man was spotted riding through the city on a motorcycle with a live sheep strapped to the fuel tank, taking it to be ritually slaughtered for the holiday.
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— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 28, 2026