Pashinyan describes TRIPP as more economic than political project
YEREVAN, January 21. /ARKA/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project as an economic program.
"TRIPP is, first and foremost, an investment project. Politics is gradually fading into the background, and the investment project is coming to the fore. That is, it is becoming an economic program," he said during a government Q&A session parliament today.
Responding to opposition criticism that the route through Armenia cannot be 43 km and must pass also through Yeraskhavan, the prime minister recalled that last week, representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan conducted a joint inspection of the Yeraskh-Sadarak railway section that will connect Armenian railways with those in Azerbaijani exclave Nakhichevan.
Regarding the energy component of the process, Pashinyan stated that the energy systems of Armenia and Azerbaijan will definitely be connected, and the parties will benefit from possible export and import conditions based on the principle of reciprocity. In the context of mutual benefit, he recalled the import of gasoline and grain to Armenia through Azerbaijan.
Answering a question about when Armenia would be able to cross Azerbaijani territory based on the principle of reciprocity, as stipulated in the document, the Prime Minister said this would happen when the railway connecting the two countries is completed.
About the TRIPP Project
The leaders of Armenia, the United States, and Azerbaijan—Nikol Pashinyan, Donald Trump, and Ilham Aliyev—reached an agreement on the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) project, which was formalized in a trilateral declaration signed in Washington on August 8, 2025.
On December 10, Pashinyan revealed that the Armenian-American joint venture "TRIPP Company," to be registered in Armenia, would be granted the rights to develop essential infrastructure, including railways, roads, oil and gas pipelines, and fiber-optic cables.
The construction and implementation phase is set to commence in 2026. After their meeting in Washington on January 13, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio released a joint statement detailing the framework for the TRIPP project's execution.
This document specifies the overall mechanism for initiating the project, which aims to establish seamless multimodal transit connectivity through Armenia, linking the mainland of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Region and incorporating it into the Trans-Caspian Trade Route.
Additionally, the document outlines the objectives, advantages, and responsibilities of both Armenia and the United States. The project plans to establish a dedicated company for TRIPP's development, with the United States holding a majority stake and Armenia participating, focusing on the advancement of railway, road, energy, and digital infrastructure, as well as the implementation of modern border and customs administration models, all while fully maintaining Armenia's sovereignty and jurisdiction.-0-
