The South Caucasus has become the subject of international attention as J.D. Vance pays high-profile visits to both Armenia and Azerbaijan the countries where the complicated process of history formation has been going on over the last thirty years shaping the geopolitics of the region. Quite on the contrary, it is not an ordinary diplomatic exercise but an important reassertion of the strategic interest of the United States in a region whose significance is increasingly growing.

The South Caucasus is no longer marginal at the time when the balance of power in the world is shifting, and the relationships between Washington and Tehran are continuously on the brink of conflict. Rather, it has become an essential nexus of energy security, geopolitical power, and an east-west power nexus. The presence of Vice President Vance reiterates the fact on how Washington was aware of this changing reality.

An Oath of Allegiance to Peace and Stability

The long-term goal of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the key to the visit. The United States has always been a supporter of the normalization, border delimiting, and mutual acknowledgment of the territorial integrity. Not only a regional desire, but a component of wider international security, is a stable South Caucasus.

The direct approach of talking to both Yerevan and Baku indicates that Washington is willing to continue its positive role in the development of a long-lasting post-war order. The peaceful situation in the region decreases the possibility of a new escalation, eliminates foreign destabilizing factors, and provides a chance to develop and integrate economies on the area level.

Instead of marginalizing the stakeholders in the region, the United States is making itself a responsible and equal partner - a partner who appreciates dialogue, diplomacy and long-term survival.

TheEmerging Strategic Role of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has a very strategic role in the changing regional calculus of Washington. Other than the normalization process, Baku has turned out to be a major energy diversification contributor to Europe. The Southern Gas Corridor and growing green energy projects in Azerbaijan demonstrate its significance in the energy supply chains across the world.

The present-day energy security cannot exist without geopolitical durability. With the disruptions in supply and fragmentation redefining the global markets, the engine dependability of Azerbaijan as an energy partner enhances its strategic appeal. This is a crucial role that is realized through the involvement of Vice President Vance.

The location of Azerbaijan under emerging connectivity systems such as Middle Corridor between Asia and Europe is also important.

Promoting the Changing Security Environment in Armenia

In Armenia, negotiations should be able to speak about the changing security patterns and institutional cooperation. With the changes in the regional realities, the rebalancing of security relations by Yerevan is a logical reaction to the altered geopolitics.

The involvement of the United States with Armenia shows that the U.S. is concerned with the overall interest in favor of sovereignty, institutional building and positive regional contribution. The US needs to improve its relationship with both Armenia and Azerbaijan by showing a moderate and proactive stand to long term balance as opposed to short term benefit.

A Broader Strategic Message

The visit by Vice President Vance is not just a bilateral visit. It creates a precise impression that the United States is still attentive and involved in the formation of the future of the South Caucasus. The American diplomacy is an indication of continuity, presence and strategic alertness in an environment that is characterized by geopolitical competition.

The trip is also indicative of a greater realignment in US foreign policy - of a policy that acknowledges the interdependence of energy, security and connectivity. South Caucasus is not a mere regional stage; it is an intersection of world supply-chains, digital networks, andand geopolitical balances.

Diplomacy with Purpose

The visit might not lead to instant breakthroughs, but it is important because of the intent and commitment. It has convinced partners, demonstrated stability to allies and reinforced by Washington the view that constructive engagement is the best way to achieve peace in a lasting way.

Finally, the very fact of the diplomatic outreach of J.D. Vance proves that the United States does not see the South Caucasus as a distant periphery, but as a part of the overall strategic stability. Washington helps to create a future that is based on partnership, as opposed to polarization, by promoting dialogue, energy cooperation, and regional integration.

The new American activism is a promise of the eternal significance of the South Caucasus - and of the common dream of peace and prosperity and equal partnership in the area.

By: Ms. Fatima Tuz Zehra

President “The Gulf Observer Research Forum”, Editor-In-Chief of “The Gulf Observer” and Director EuReflect for Asia-Pacific