YEREVAN, September 9
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned that forces inside Armenia and abroad are seeking to undermine the peace deal signed with Azerbaijan last month in Washington.
Speaking in parliament, Pashinyan said a declaration was signed on August 8 formalizing peace principles, but not all actors welcome the development.
“The text of the declaration has been signed. But this is not in the program of many. They want peace to be disrupted. Such forces exist in Armenia, nearby, and far beyond its borders,” he said.
Armenia Open to “Trump Route” Project
Pashinyan also confirmed that Yerevan is prepared to take part in the proposed “Trump Route” (TRIPP, Zangezur corridor) project, which would synchronize Armenian and Azerbaijani infrastructure. He described the project as part of the Armenian-American agenda.
While noting that Armenia views this infrastructure as a distinct part of the South Caucasus logistics network, he acknowledged that Azerbaijan is entitled to label its own segment as it sees fit.
OSCE Minsk Group Dissolution Accepted
The prime minister explained why Armenia agreed to the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group before the signing of a peace treaty with Baku. He said the decision was taken because the August 8 Washington declaration confirmed Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of its borders.
“When we saw that a number of issues were being settled in an acceptable manner, we decided that this chance could not be missed,” Pashinyan told lawmakers.
Border Control Modernization Planned
Addressing concerns about future cross-border movement if communications are unblocked, Pashinyan said Armenia intends to adopt modern technologies for border checks. Passport control would rely on scanning systems without human involvement, with border guards intervening only if suspicious individuals are flagged.
These systems, he added, would apply across all Armenian borders — with Georgia, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and at airports.
