As previously reported, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on a working visit to the United States. According to the official version, the purpose of the visit is to participate in the 5th International Religious Freedom Summit and the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.
Before his trip, Pashinyan stated at a press conference in Yerevan that a meeting with President Donald Trump was not planned. At the same time, he described his visit to the U.S. as “extremely important,” emphasizing that the decision to attend the religious freedom summit was made “after consultations with partners.” While he did not specify which “partners” he meant, it is easy to assume that he was referring to Armenian lobbyists in the U.S., including the Armenian National Committee of America, which maintains close ties with certain members of the Trump administration.
According to Armenian media, Pashinyan is accompanied on this trip by Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Arsen Torosyan, a deputy from the ruling Civil Contract party. This suggests that the prime minister’s visit is not limited to religious discussions but also includes political meetings in Washington.
Earlier, Yerevan-based sources reported that Armenia’s Foreign Ministry and embassy in Washington had tried to arrange at least an informal meeting between Pashinyan and Trump but received a polite rejection. This is unsurprising—Trump, who is focused on “dismantling the deep state” in the U.S. and escalating global trade wars through new tariffs, has little time for Pashinyan.
The International Religious Freedom Summit and Its Political Context
The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Summit 2025 marks the fifth event organized by American NGOs advocating for human rights and religious freedoms. The summit’s co-chairs are former Republican Senator Sam Brownback and Katrina Lantos Swett, president of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Foundation. Since 2024, Republican Senator James Lankford, a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, has served as the honorary chairman of the summit’s organizing committee.
Although IRF Summit 2025 is not officially affiliated with the U.S. government, former Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivered a video address at its opening in 2024. However, no high-ranking Biden administration officials attended.
Meanwhile, in early January—just ten days before Joe Biden left office—Bangladeshi media reported that newly elected President Donald Trump had invited Tarique Rahman, leader of Bangladesh’s Nationalist Party, along with two senior party members, to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington as part of the IRF Summit. The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka later clarified that the U.S. government had no involvement in the summit.
“The U.S. government and the State Department do not manage, fund, or influence invitations and participants of the IRF Summit or the National Prayer Breakfast,” a U.S. Embassy representative in Bangladesh stated.
It is important to distinguish the IRF Summit from the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, an event organized by the U.S. government and its partner countries. The last such ministerial was held in Berlin by the German government on October 10–11, 2024.
“The statements, comments, positions, and opinions of participants or former officials at the IRF Summit or National Prayer Breakfast should not be interpreted as representing the views, positions, or policies of the U.S. government,” the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka reiterated.
Pashinyan’s Strategy: Seeking a Connection with Trump
Given that the summit’s leadership consists mainly of Republicans and that Trump’s inner circle includes staunch conservatives, it is likely that members of the current U.S. administration will attend the event. The organizers of Pashinyan’s trip seem to have factored this in, potentially hoping to help the Armenian prime minister establish connections with the new Trump administration.
During Trump’s second term, human rights advocacy is expected to lose priority in U.S. foreign policy. Trump has already suspended USAID operations—the agency through which the Biden administration implemented its democracy and human rights agenda worldwide. USAID played a crucial role in U.S. support for Armenia, significantly increasing financial aid under Biden.
For instance, in September 2024, at a ceremony in New York attended by Secretary of State Blinken and Prime Minister Pashinyan, USAID allocated an additional $20 million to Armenia. Just days before that, the agency announced that aid to Armenia would increase from $120 million to $250 million in 2025. Now, not only has Armenia’s aid package been put on hold, but the very future of USAID itself is uncertain.
Unlike human rights issues, religious freedom has always been a focus for Trump. During his first term, his administration placed strong emphasis on promoting religious liberty and imposed strict sanctions on violators. Many expect that in his second term, Trump will continue prioritizing religious freedom, especially given the existing legal framework supporting such policies.
It appears that Armenian lobbyists in Washington have taken this into account and advised Pashinyan to participate in the religious freedom summit—perhaps to showcase the Armenian prime minister’s “piety” and attract the attention of Trump and his inner circle.
Farhad Mammadov
Translated from haqqin.az
