MOSCOW, Sept 12
Russia expects continued dialogue with Armenia on unblocking regional transport links and says the practical workings of the so-called “Trump Route” (TRIPP) can only be assessed once concrete project details are disclosed, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a briefing.
“An understanding of how this route will function in practice is possible only after we review the project’s specific parameters,” Zakharova noted.
She added that several additional factors must be considered: Armenia’s membership in the EAEU’s common customs space, the fact that South Caucasus Railway—a subsidiary of Russia’s RZD—manages Armenia’s rail network, and that Russian border guards secure the frontier in the area where the route is expected to run.
Zakharova also recalled that the trilateral working group on unblocking transport and economic communications—co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia—had reached “important understandings” that remain relevant.
On 8 August in Washington, the leaders of Armenia, the United States and Azerbaijan signed a joint declaration on a peaceful settlement. Under the document, Armenia grants the U.S. exclusive long-term rights for 99 years to develop the TRIPP corridor—operating under Armenian law—to connect Nakhchivan with mainland Azerbaijan via Syunik. The U.S. side plans to sublease the land to a consortium responsible for infrastructure and operations. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan also issued a joint appeal to close the OSCE Minsk Group and associated structures, and later initialed the text of a future peace treaty.
