U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday in Yerevan that the Memorandum of Understanding on critical minerals signed with Armenia is going to further enhance mutual prosperity.
“We see every single day all over the world, every visit I ever have, whether it's in Washington with a visiting delegation or in my travels, critical minerals, which is something no one talked about just 20 years ago, are now essential to all of the new technologies, all the innovations that are going to require for the 21st century, not just access to these minerals, but the ability to process and refine them to be usable goods, is critical to the future, for prosperity. And countries that are able to do that are going to be able to find economic independence and are going to be able to find themselves at the center of innovation in the 21st century. And those who lag behind are going to suffer for it. We are going to be able to work together to make sure that both of our countries, both of our economies are going to have reliable access to these critical minerals in a way that is not just financially beneficial to our countries, but also fuel that cycle of innovation that will be so critical to the 21st century," he said.
Armenia and the United States signed on Tuesday a memorandum titled “Framework for Securing Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths.”
“Let me just say that both yourself and the Prime Minister and your entire team here in Armenia are blazing the trail toward a brighter and more independent future for Armenia,” Rubio told Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan after their meeting in Yerevan.
“And we're very happy to be here to show my support, my support for their courage, my support for their vision, my support for their dedication, my support for their willingness to see for the future of their country what it takes to get there. And we're very happy and proud to be a part of it, and we can't wait to do more together. So thank you,” he added.
