Moscow’s reaction came after an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal was announced at a Washington meeting hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump late last week.
In an August 9 comment Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that neither Armenia, nor Azerbaijan has formally withdrawn from the 2020 agreement that Moscow brokered to stop a six-week war over Nagorno-Karabakh that included a provision regarding regional connectivity with Russian involvement.
After initialing a peace agreement at a ceremony in the White House on August 8, Armenia and Azerbaijan also signed a declaration along with the United States under which Armenia pledged to give the United States exclusive rights to a transit route – named the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) – through its territory, which Azerbaijan has demanded as a transport corridor to its western exclave of Nakhichevan.
Observers said the Washington deal undermines Russia’s hopes of reverting to previous agreements regarding the deployment of its border troops along the route – a role that appears to have been effectively rejected by both Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We will carefully assess Washington’s statements regarding the restoration of regional communications. The trilateral agreements with Russia remain valid, as neither party has formally withdrawn from them,” Zakharova said.
She reminded that Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russia-led trade grouping of five post-Soviet nations, and has commitments in terms of the single customs space, including the regulation of transit operations through its territory. She also stressed that Armenia’s border with Iran remains under the protection of Russian border troops under a 1992 interstate treaty.
“The most suitable option to resolve the problems in the South Caucasus is to search for and implement solutions developed by the region’s countries themselves, with support from their direct neighbors – Russia, Iran, and Türkiye,” Zakharova said.
Earlier, while welcoming the finalization of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Iran also voiced its misgivings regarding a U.S. role in the transit route in Armenia’s Syunik region bordering the Islamic Republic.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes the finalization of a peace agreement between the two countries, considering it an important step toward achieving lasting peace in the region,” read a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry over the weekend.
“At the same time, the Islamic Republic expresses concern over the negative consequences of any form of foreign intervention, especially near its shared borders, that could undermine the security and lasting stability of the region,” it said.
Later, according to Iran’s Mehr news agency, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran’s demands in relation to a corridor agreed upon by Armenia and Azerbaijan have been met.
“Of course, this corridor is not what has been exaggerated about in the news,” he said.
“The framework of preserving territorial integrity, establishing a connection with Europe, and not cutting off it with the north, which was meant by the Islamic Republic, have been witnessed in this issue.”
“The only matter of concern is that an Armenian company and an American company want to build this road,” Pezeshkian added.
Answering questions from the media on Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted that the TRIPP would actually provide more opportunities for regional countries like Russia and Iran.
“This project can become a good opportunity to start economic cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States, and between the Russian Federation and the United States,” he said, stressing that the TRIPP has no military component and poses no threat to Iran.
The West and most regional countries have welcomed the outcomes of the Washington meeting, including the initialing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The European Union, in particular, described the signing of the political declaration by Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in the presence of President Trump in the White House, as “a major development for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, paving the way to lasting, sustainable peace for both countries and across the entire region.”
In their joint statement, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “it will now be important to ensure the timely implementation of the agreed steps to guarantee steady and uninterrupted progress towards full-fledged normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
“The EU strongly supports the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process and stands ready to invest in regional connectivity and full opening, to benefit first and foremost populations divided by conflict legacies, and to bring the region closer to sustainable peace, stability, and prosperity,” the EU leaders said.