WASHINGTON, DC – In response to months of sustained Armenian Caucus pressure and relentless Armenian American advocacy, the Trump-Vance Administration, this past week – in an unprecedented move – announced that the United States is actively encouraging both Yerevan and Baku to ensure “the return of ethnic Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh,” reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The September 25, 2025 letter articulating this newly announced Trump-Vance policy – signed by Paul D. Guaglianone of the State Department’s Bureau of Legislative Affairs – also explained that the United States is “closely monitoring the trials of detained ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan, and – in a previously undisclosed move – confirmed that “officials at U.S. Embassy Baku attend legal proceedings whenever possible.” Guaglianone closed by affirming that the State Department continues “to call on the Azerbaijani government to protect Armenian heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“We welcome the commitments undertaken by the Trump-Vance Administration in its response to a bipartisan letter signed by 87 members of the Armenian Caucus, and are already working with our Congressional allies, coalition partners, and community activists to translate these commitments into concrete action,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Our hard-fought progress on each of these fronts – Artsakh refugees, Armenian hostages, and Christian churches – is a tribute to our collective resilience, our enduring resolve in the face of Yerevan’s indifference and Azerbaijan’s intense opposition.”