Aleksey Fadeyev, Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, told reporters at a news briefing in Moscow on Tuesday that the specifics of the project, named the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP), have not yet been made public.
“As we have already stated, the involvement of non-regional powers in the South Caucasus should promote a peace agenda rather than create new problems and new dividing lines,” he said, as quoted by Russia’s TASS news agency.
Fadeyev reiterated Russia’s position that any connectivity initiative must take into account Armenia’s membership in the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union as well as the presence of Russian border guards in Armenia’s Syunik province.
“These factors should be considered when working out decisions on unblocking transport communications in the region,” he added.
During a meeting in Washington on August 8, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United States signed a joint declaration that, among other provisions, establishes a U.S. role in overseeing a transit route through Armenia, which Azerbaijan has demanded as a link to its Nakhichevan exclave.
The Washington accords received broad international support, including endorsements from Western and regional leaders, but Russia as well as Iran immediately expressed concern over the U.S. involvement in the proposed project.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday held phone calls with the presidents of Iran and Russia, Masoud Pezeshkian and Vladimir Putin, to brief them on the outcome of the Washington meetings. He assured both leaders that regional communication channels will operate under the principles of territorial integrity, sovereignty, and jurisdiction of countries, and on the basis of reciprocity. Pashinian also highlighted opportunities for broader regional cooperation.