U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a statement saying that he supports Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the upcoming parliamentary election on June 7. Prime Minister Nikola Pashinyan will be facing parliamentary elections at a time in which his recent attempt to move closer to the EU will be a major question for voters. While Pashinyan continues to maintain Armenian membership in the Russia-supported Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), he is also trying to distance Armenia from Russia and to eventually join the European Union. He is getting some support in that from President Trump, who has inserted himself into the region by “brokering” the recent peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. He has also taken over from Russia control of the key corridor through Armenia which is the only direct route from Turkish Azerbaijan to Turkiye. He’s calling this the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). The U.S. President, in his unbounded imagination, undoubtedly sees this as a beginning of an alternative to China’s BRI. The agreement was signed during U.S. Secretary of State Rubio’s recent trip to Yerevan. Trump in his search for precious metals and rare earths also knows that Armenia has these in some quantity.